


Code of Honour

by PyroDragoness



Category: The Transformers (Cartoon Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: F/M, Honour, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Seeker Trines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2018-08-17 07:27:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 47,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8135459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyroDragoness/pseuds/PyroDragoness
Summary: Shadeweaver is a Seeker femme serving the RAF. Meeting the Autobots, she also encounters the Decepticons; including a certain Air Commander. What happens when the Seeker Code of Honour is put on the line? AU based on G1. Rated T for violence. Eventual Starscream/OC.





	1. Intervention

 

"Text" spoken dialogue

' _text'_ bond speech or unspoken thoughts

 **::Text::** Comm speech

 

**Time conversions:**

Astrosecond = 0.498 seconds

Breem = 8.3 minutes

Joor = 1 hour

Cycle = 1 Day

Solar Cycle = 1 year

Vorn = 83 years

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or its characters. Transformers is the property of Hasbro, and is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Original character, Shadeweaver, belongs to me

* * *

_**The Seeker Code of Honour** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Intervention**

" _ **CARLY!**_ " the Autobots yelled in unison as they watched the tiny human plummet to her death. Feeling that pit-spawned, mechanical bird's claws loosen, a scream ripped from Carly's vocal cords as she began to spin and flip out of her control, free-falling to her certain doom. With nothing but the vastness of the Earth coming dangerously close, Carly could only accept her undeniable fate as the details of the ragged landscape came clearer and clearer with each passing moment. Then with the sudden roar of thrusters, a jet then shot out as if from nowhere only to catch the falling femme into its cockpit.

"Hey! Who in the pit's _that!?_ " one of the Autobots yelled in alarm, seeing the strange jet emerge from some low-lying cloud.

"Unknown, Sunstreaker," the tallest of the Autobots replied grimly as he watched helplessly as the interloper snagged their friend.

**o0o0o**

As she flumped into something soft and the whistling of the wind rushing past her ears came to an abrupt stop, Carly found herself trapped within an uninhabited cockpit of a jet flying by itself in mid-air. She realised to her horror that the very beings that she tried so hard to escape from had ultimately captured her.

"What!? No _, no_ , _**no!**_ " Carly cried as she thumped her fists in fear against the glass dome overhead, " _ **Let me go!**_ " she screamed frantically in the hopes that someone, anybody would hear her.

"Hey, hey! It's ok, calm down," a female voice hushed; Carly then immediately stopped in her tracks at the unexpected gentle voice of said jet, "You're safe now. I promise won't let those jerks get a hold of you," she added.

"Wh-what?" Carly started, not believing what she just heard.

"Don't worry, I'm not with those other guys," the jet said, "The name's Shadeweaver, by the way," she added.

"Oh," Carly said simply, still in shock of what just occurred, "I-I'm Carly," she added cautiously; although the jet appeared to be her rescuer, the Decepticons were known to be a deceitful bunch.

"Well, pleased to meet ya, Carly," Shadeweaver replied in a friendly tone; Carly could have sworn there was a slight Scottish accent to her voice. Her thoughts were abruptly put on hold, however as three blips on the radar appeared. "Hm. Seems we have company," Shadeweaver said as Carly looked behind to see three jets in hot pursuit.

"Oh! No! That's Starscream!" Carly cried.

**::Air Commander Starscream to Unidentified Seeker::**

**::Yo. What can I do for ya?::**

**::That girl belongs to us, unhand her now before we remove her by force::**

**::Not on yer life, pal::**

**::This is your last warning; hand her to me now, seeker or you will be blasted from the air without remorse!::**

**::Heh. Just you try it::**

**::So be it, you had your last warning! Starscream out!::**

Then with that, Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp began to open fire on Shadeweaver and Carly. Gripping the chair tightly, Carly could only clench her eyes shut in fear as missiles exploded all around them whilst Shadeweaver dodged and swayed in the air. As Carly endured what would equate to the most terrifying rollercoaster ride of her life, she noticed that they were now taking an extremely steep gradient.

"Now Carly, I'm going to have to ask you trust me on this, alright?" Shadeweaver started; Carly opened her eyes to see what she meant as they flew straight for a large towering mass of land.

"What!? Y-you're not going to-!?" Carly shrieked.

"Look; I promise I won't let anything happen to you," Shadeweaver cut in, "Just hang on tight," she added.

"Oh! No, _no_ , _**no!**_ " Carly shrieked as they plunged straight for the incoming behemoth of a mountain, " _ **Shadeweaver!**_ " she shrieked.

"That seeker must be malfunctioning!" Starscream shrieked as he realised the unidentified seeker was not going to turn back, "It will surely crash at that velocity!"

"Starscream; fall back!" Thundercracker yelled, "We will too at this rate!" he warned. Then with much reluctance, Starscream and his trine brothers pulled away at the last moment.

**o0o0o**

" _ **CARLY NO!**_ " yelled the Autobots as they watched helplessly from below as the jet containing Carly hurled straight for the mountainside. Yet, as they expected the loud booming crash of the suicidal jet, nothing came. Instead of the explosive collision that everyone expected, they found themselves watching in awe as the jet seemingly just disappeared into the mass of land as if it was not there.

"What?" a red Autobot gaped, "What the _frag_ happened!?"

"I am uncertain, Sideswipe," the tallest of the Autobots replied, "It would appear that the kidnapper has a strange ability to traverse through matter," he concluded.

"Hm. Let us hope that this interloper is still not malicious in its intentions," a red and white bot nearby said.

"Well, at any rate, now that Carly is out with the battle field, Autobots: Open fire!" the tallest one ordered.

**o0o0o**

"Wh-what?" Carly gaped as they seemingly plunged into a dark void, "What happened?" she asked, completely in awe of the fact the crash did not come; she heard a female chuckle fill the air.

"Shadow merging," Shadeweaver replied, "It's how I got my name; Shadeweaver," she added.

"Oh! I get it; you didn't fly into the mountain, you literally flew into its shadow," Carly realised as she sank into the seat, exhausted after her adrenaline rush, "Whew! You scared the _bejesus_ outta me!" she breathed.

"Yeah; sorry about that. It was the only way I could catch them off-guard without harming you," Shadeweaver apologised, "By the way, why were they after you in the first place?" she asked.

"Oh. Probably because of my association with the Autobots," Carly surmised, "Most likely they wanted to get a hold of me to put the others at a disadvantage," she guessed.

"Autobots?" Shadeweaver quizzed.

"Yeah. There's Autobots and Decepticons; those jets were part of the Decepticon group," Carly replied, "What about you?" she asked.

"Well, I was brought up on Earth so I don't know but if all Decepticons are jerks like _that_ then count me out," Shadeweaver stated, "Anyway, I think they're gone now, it seems like those others took care of them; I take it these are the Autobots?" she said, seeing a small group of mechanical beings as they remerged out of the mountainside.

"Yes but don't be alarmed if they draw their weapons on you" Carly replied.

"It's ok, I was kinda expecting it" Shadeweaver said.

**o0o0o**

"Hey; that Seeker's coming back out of the mountain," the smallest of the Autobots chimed from below, seeing the jet fly back out of the mountainside.

"I see it, Bumblebee. Autobots: ready your weapons just in case but do not fire," the leader of the group ordered, "Remember that Carly is still on-board," he added. The Autobots then raised their weapons as the strange jet descended down upon them. Then as the jet landed gently on the ground, the cockpit opened and a relatively unharmed Carly emerged from within. The jet then allowed itself to transform into its bipedal mode, revealing the slender form of the seeker femme's frame. The femme in question was mostly navy-blue with highlights of green on her chest and wings; the femme's wings were adorned with RAF insignia.

"It's ok, she's not a Decepticon," Carly spoke up as she ran up to the Autobots with her hands up, "Her name's Shadeweaver; she saved my life," she added.

"Carly!" Spike cried, "Thank God you're ok!" he added as he greeted her with a hug in upmost relief. The Autobots then looked at each other and with a nod of approval from the tallest of the group, they lowered their weapons.

"Shadeweaver, was it?" the tallest of the Autobots asked, "Well, pleased to meet you, I am Optimus Prime and I am the leader of the group of Autobots here. I must thank you from the bottom of my spark for rescuing our friend here; she would certainly not be here if it were not for your intervention," he acknowledged with a smile in his optics.

"Oh. It's no problem at all, sir," Shadeweaver replied with a smile.

"I must say, however, both your designation and your signal seem unfamiliar to me," Optimus hinted, "What about you, Ratchet?" he asked the red and white bot standing next to him.

"Neither appears to be registered on any medical record or even the Cybertronian Archives, Optimus," Ratchet replied.

"Um well, that's probably because I was brought up here on Earth, sir," Shadeweaver replied, "My surrogate family raised me in a small town in Scotland. I have been serving the British RAF ever since," she added.

"Oh? So then you have no prior knowledge of your race or your planet?" Ratchet asked.

"Afraid not; I didn't even realise there were others like me until I heard some reports of mechanical beings sighted around here," Shadeweaver replied, "I came to investigate in the hopes I could learn more about myself," she added.

"Well, at any rate, I must thank you again for your aid, Shadeweaver," Optimus said, "Why don't you join us back to base, then perhaps we can introduce ourselves properly and possibly help shed some light on your situation?" he offered.

"Sure, that'd be great. Thanks," Shadeweaver replied with a smile.

"Well, in that case, Autobots: transform and roll for home," Optimus ordered and everyone transformed into the alt-forms before driving off into the setting sun; Shadeweaver transformed into her jet mode and followed from the air.


	2. Revelation

_**The Seeker Code of Honour** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Revelation**

After an eventful arrival in the United States involving a certain group of Decepticons, Shadeweaver and the Autobots eventually arrived at their destination. From Shadeweaver's perspective, their base looked like a large ship embedded in rock. Following her own scans of said rock, she wagered that it was at least a few million years old.

"So, how did you guys end up here?" Shadeweaver asked, "It looks like it's been there a long time," she commented.

"Yes; four million years to be exact," Ratchet replied, "As for how we arrived here, however, that is a story that will take quite a bit of explaining. As you did not seem to know about Cybertron, I'm willing to bet that you do not know much about the war that broke out between the Autobots and the Decepticons?" he surmised.

"Sorry, no," Shadeweaver admitted, "I was only equipped with basic programming and a frame. There was no knowledge passed down or anything; I mean I didn't even know I was a Seeker until I heard Starscream call me that during battle," she added.

"I see; perhaps I can have a look at your CPU later", Ratchet suggested, "There is a possibility that your memory may have simply been wiped; a simple data recovery should be able fix that," he added.

"Yeah, sure," Shadeweaver said simply as they walked into the Ark.

**o0o0o**

After Shadeweaver and the Autobots eventually arrived, Optimus gathered everyone into the main bridge.

"Shadeweaver: welcome our base and our home, the Ark," Optimus spoke up, "Now that everyone is here, we can properly introduce ourselves; we are the Autonomous Robotic Organisms hailing from the planet Cybertron, or more commonly known as Autobots; I, Optimus Prime, am the leader of the Autobot faction," he started off.

"These are my comrades: Ironhide; Jazz; Ratchet; Wheeljack; Hound; Mirage; Prowl; Sideswipe and Sunstreaker; Bluestreak; Trailbreaker; Skyfire; Hoist; Smokescreen; Tracks; Skids; Bumblebee; Cliffjumper; Brawn; Beachcomber; Blaster; Springer; and Perceptor," Optimus introduced with each greeting her in turn, "Again, we cannot thank you enough for your aid in rescuing our friend, Carly and that you can reside with us for as long as you see fit," he added.

"Thanks a lot, Sir," Shadeweaver replied gratefully.

"So, you worked for the RAF, did you?" asked the black and white bot named Prowl, noting the insignia on her wings.

"Yeah, I patrolled mostly around the Scottish coastline," Shadeweaver replied, "I also helped to deliver some goods for my town," she added.

"I see," Ratchet hummed, "Do you fly alone?" he asked.

"No, there's two others," Shadeweaver replied, Prowl and Ratchet glanced up at this, "Joe and Cathy. They are both Human pilots that go on patrol with me," she added, both Prowl and Ratchet glanced at each other for a brief moment.

**::Do you think?::**

**::Well, I certainly wouldn't rule it out, Prowl::**

"Hey; can I just ask?" the red bot known as Sideswipe chimed in, "How in the _pit_ did you do that thing with the mountain!? That was so cool!" he asked.

"Well, I call it shadow merging," Shadeweaver replied with a slight chuckle, "I sort of treat the shadow as gateway into another plane of existence. It's really good for getting out of a tight fix or if I need to be stealthy for whatever reason," she explained.

"Ah. Shade-phasing," Ratchet joined in, "It is as you said in which you can access a pocket universe of the present plane; I knew of a couple of Autobots in the past who could do something similar."

"So don't you remember _anything_ about Cybertron at all?" Sideswipe asked.

"No; my memory's very vague but I do remember waking up in what was like this glass pod and I remember my Grandmother being there," Shadeweaver replied, "I had basic programming like how to scan and transform but any knowledge about Cybertron, the war or family was left out. I've never even heard of Cybertron before now," she admitted.

"If you were in a pod, you will have only been a new spark at first; that would be the equivalent of a human foetus," Sunstreaker said, "I'm guessing someone or something wanted to keep you away from the war," he added.

"I think that is likely the case," Ratchet agreed, "As Sunstreaker rightly said, the pod or incubation chamber, is like an egg in the sense that it provides both nutrients and protection for the new spark; it can even keep a sparkling functioning through to adulthood if necessary. I think that it is likely that your guardian sent you to Earth during gestation but if that were the case, your creation would still have been recorded. I will have to run a full diagnostic on you later on when I have the time," he added. "Were you fully grown when you came out of stasis?" Ratchet asked.

"More or less, I may have grown a foot at the most since then," Shadeweaver replied, "I was pretty much fully functional and started aiding the RAF five years afterwards; that was about thirty years ago now," she added.

"Uh-huh, well as I say, I will run a diagnostic later on, then we can perhaps help you shed some light on your past, " Ratchet said.

**o0o0o**

In a room, slightly a kin to a Cybertronian-sized clinic, Shadeweaver found herself lying one of the medical berths. She could hear the medic known as Ratchet rummaging about for specific tools before coming up to her berthside.

"Right, now let's have a look and see what I can divulge from your data banks," Ratchet hummed as he opened a small port at the back of her helm. Shadeweaver then felt a strange tingling sensation as Ratchet plugged a cord in to hook her to the monitor.

"Well, it seems that there has been no attempt to wipe your CPU as far as I can see," Ratchet spoke up after sifting through various files, "I think that Sunstreaker was right in the fact that you were simply sent to Earth as an infant but we would have at least been aware of this," he added, furrowing his brow in thought. "I wonder if it's possible-" he muttered to himself as he searched through streams of data until something made him stop in his tracks.

"What's up?" Shadeweaver asked.

"Well, viewing your identification code, which is similar to a DNA sequence, it does not seem to match any other Cybertronian according to the Cybertron Medical Archives. This could only mean that you were created directly from the Allspark," Ratchet spoke up, "The code also states that your place of creation was indeed the Earth," he added.

"Wait so I actually was created on Earth in the first place?" Shadeweaver asked, surprised.

"Yes; it'd appear so. Now if I can just find your chronometer…" Ratchet said, before finding the data he was looking for, "Ah. 9.2 million Solar Cycles; that confirms it. You were created by the Allspark at the tail end of the Great War; you must have been forced into a stasis lock when you were first created," he conformed.

"Wow, that makes me over 9 million years old!" Shadeweaver gaped.

"Well, yes according to your chronometer; your ageing process was most likely stunted during stasis lock," Ratchet replied, "Developmentally speaking, I would say you are closer to two million solar cycles," he added.

"I see," Shadeweaver said simply, "This is _a lot_ to take in," she sighed in a very human gesture.

"Yes; it certainly is, young one and I'm afraid I have only just scratched the surface" Ratchet said simply, "Anyway, now that we know a little more about your past, let's us check your overall health shall we?" he added before running a few thorough scans. Ratchet then tapped a spot on top of her cockpit, letting it slide away to reveal a strange glowing structure in her chest.

"Yes, that spark was definitely created by the Allspark and as far as I can tell, you seem to be in perfectly good health," Ratchet started but as he looked closely at the spark, he noticed two brighter spots floating on the surface, "Ah. So you _do_ have a trine bond; I half expected this," he stated.

"A trine bond?" Shadeweaver reiterated in confusion.

"Hm. No doubt you will not have heard about spark-bonds so perhaps I should start from the beginning," Ratchet started, "Each Mech and Femme house a structure known as a spark within their frames. A spark, analogy-wise, is I suppose a little like a Human heart in which it is our source of power, distributing electricity throughout our circuits," he continued.

"The spark, however, is also our soul, our very being and our personal identity. It is in a sense our entire essence containing our present, past and future selves stretched across dimensions compressed into one spot. The thing that most mechs do not know, however, is that the spark is not primarily a Cybertronian feature but is in fact present in all beings, it is just that we have been able to harness it's power in a much more efficient way," he explained.

"Now, one thing that sparks can do is form physical bonds between two or more. There are many, many forms of different bonds that exist: sibling bonds, guardian bonds, friendship bonds, carrier and sire bonds to name a few" Ratchet rattled off, "One bond specific to Seekers, however, is the Trine bond, in which Seekers will form a group of three. A trine bond I suppose like a much deeper sibling bond in a way. Do you know of anyone you could say that you share such a bond with?" he asked; Shadeweaver didn't even have to think about it before the answer came to her vocaliser.

"Joe and Cathy; the two pilots that I mentioned earlier," Shadeweaver vented with a somewhat sad smile, "They are also my surrogate brother and sister. We have been together for a long time and I couldn't imagine life without them. They even joined the RAF just so they could fly with me on patrol; always Cathy flanking right and Joe on the left. We can even sense each other's presence, thoughts and emotions," she added.

"I see, I thought as much when you mentioned them," Ratchet said simply, confirming his and Prowl's thoughts from before, "What you describe could only be a trine bond. Usually Seekers form their first Trine during their first vorn; I am guessing that because you obviously spent your sparkling and younglings development inside your incubation chamber, your Seeker programming prompted you to form the bond with your foster siblings without realising it. I imagine it must have been hard for you to leave them behind," he added knowingly.

"Yeah," Shadeweaver hummed, "I didn't want to leave them initially but they insisted. It feels strange being so far apart but they're presences are still there so it's not _so_ bad," she added.

"Anyway, with that aside, I believe that is all for now," Ratchet eventually said, "Tomorrow, I will compile a data chip for you to download the relevant knowledge that you would have got, had you been created on Cybertron but as of now you are free to go," he added.

"Alright, thanks a lot for your help," Shadeweaver said gratefully before leaving the med-bay.

**o0o0o**

After her time in the med-bay, Shadeweaver was being lead through the corridors by Optimus until he came to a small door.

"And these are your quarters," Optimus spoke up, revealing a room with a berth and a window to the left, and a desk with a monitor on the right.

"That's great, thanks Optimus," Shadeweaver replied, he then acknowledged her before leaving her to settle into her new surroundings. Shadeweaver then made to sit on the edge of the berth. Gazing out at the sun setting over the desert scenery, Shadeweaver just sat there, thinking over the recent happenings and information that she had come across. This was when she realised that her life had only just begun.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile:

His blood-red optics glared up at the overlord as energon dripped from his faceplates; like it was his fault that blasted femme had that kind of ability.

"You worthless fool," Megatron sneered down at the unfortunate second-in-command, "Why am I not surprised that _you_ would be the one to mess this operation up?" he scoffed.

"Well, it wasn't _my_ fault _bird-brain_ there decided to drop her!" Starscream protested, pouting as Lasorbeak sitting defiantly on his arm.

"Silence!" Megatron yelled, "I have had enough of your stupidity today, Starscream. Come to think of it, who _was_ that other Seeker?" he said.

"She was unregistered, my Lord; that is what I've been trying to tell you for the past two joors!" Starscream screeched, "I did not recognise that Seeker and you know that there are only a handful left on Cybertron," he stated.

"Hmm. Soundwave: I want a full report on this Seeker," Megatron ordered, "See what you can uncover," he added.

"Yes, my Lord," Soundwave replied in his trademark monotonous voice.


	3. Confrontation

_**The Seeker Code of Honour** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Confrontation**

Onlining her optics, Shadeweaver almost forgot where she was as she caught sight of the golden, metallic decor. As she glanced around, her CPU eventually caught up with her as images of recent events involving the Autobots and the Decepticons cycled through her memory banks. Groggily sitting up from her berth with a grunt, Shadeweaver then realised that her two siblings were absent. Normally they were hardly ever apart but now the Seeker had the Atlantic Ocean separating her from her human trine mates. Shadeweaver could still take comfort in fact that their bond could be felt no matter how far apart they were; it did not mean that she wouldn't miss them, however. Caught up in her own thoughts, Shadeweaver glanced up as she heard a light knock on the door.

As Shadeweaver got up and pressed the keypad, she came across the small Human girl she met earlier.

"Oh. Hey, Carly," Shadeweaver said with a grin as she crouched down and lowered her hand.

"Hi Shadeweaver, how are you?" Carly replied with a smile as she claimed on.

"Aye, good thanks," Shadeweaver replied as she straightened up, "Still getting used to things 'round here," she added; Carly noted the slight detached tone to her voice.

"I think I know how you feel," Carly replied, "I remember when I moved States, leaving my friends and family behind. It was hard at first but I eventually settled and made some new friends," she added.

"I guess," Shadeweaver replied, "Anyway, where are you off to?" she asked.

"Well, I was going to the rec-room to grab a bite to eat; no doubt you'll be needing some-" Carly replied but was cut off by a noise coming from Shadeweaver's energon tank, "energon," she finished off.

"Oops heh-heh yeah," Shadeweaver replied with a nervous laugh with Carly giggling along, "Guess that long flight really took it out of me. C'mon then," she added before walking off down the corridor.

**o0o0o**

As Carly and Shadeweaver entered the rec. room, they found that a few of the Autobots were already there. Shadeweaver set Carly down so she could join Spike and Sparkplug.

"Ah. Good morning Shadeweaver," Optimus greeted her with a smile in his optics as she grabbed herself a cube of energon, "Did you have a comfortable recharge?" he asked.

"Hey Optimus," Shadeweaver replied, "Yeah, it was great thanks. Didn't realise how much energy that flight used up," she added.

"Good, I'm glad. I was actually wondering if you could do us a favour," Optimus started, "We are short on aerial bots, therefore we lack aerial patrol. Would you like to help us patrol the area around here for Decepticon activity? I am sure your wings are thirsting for the open air by now," he asked.

"Yeah; that'd be great," Shadeweaver replied with enthusiasm in her voice, "I'll just go stir crazy if I sit about doing nothing," she added.

"I thought as much knowing how you Seekers are wired," Optimus mused, "In that case, I will inform Jazz and Bumblebee once you are energised. I will also give you some information that will be of importance to you before you make a start," he added.

**o0o0o**

After a short brief on the task at hand from Optimus, Shadeweaver made her way to the entrance of the Ark. At the entrance stood a navy blue/white bot by the name of Jazz and a small yellow bot by the name of Bumblebee.

"Hey, lil' miss. So you're gonna help us on patrol hey?" greeted Jazz with a wide grin.

"Hey Jazz. Yeah; Optimus thought it'd be good to put me on aerial patrol," Shadeweaver greeted, "I'm glad too or I'd go mental with boredom" she added.

"I bet," Jazz simply, "So I guess Prime briefed ya?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's more or less what I did back home," Shadeweaver replied, "He gave me a wee run down on the Decepticons themselves too," she added.

"Coo'," Jazz said simply, "Anways, were just keepin' an optic out for anything suspicious really. You're ta be our eyes in the sky and report to us if ya spot somethin'," he added.

"Sounds good to me" Shadeweaver replied before Jazz and Bumblebee transformed into their vehicle modes. Once out in the open, Shadeweaver, too, transformed and took to the air. Shadeweaver almost immediately sighed in relief as she kicked her thrusters into to gear, feeling the cool air rippling over her chassis as the warm sun kissed her frame. She savoured the feeling of upmost freedom as she soared through the wide open skies, with not even a cloud to mar its brilliant cyan hue. Shadeweaver never did very well grounded for very long. More than two days without flight usually resulted in a very twitchy, paranoid, sentient jet; this was never a very good combination, especially if you lived in a base full of Humans. God help those poor souls if her brother and sister hadn't been there to ease her tensions during her recovery periods. As she mused over her memories as an RAF officer, her comm. system chimed; she saw it was Jazz.

**::So, Shade; see anythin'?::**

**::Nah, seems all quiet up here. Nothing's showing in my radar either::**

**::Hmm. Just keep an optic out, hey? Bee thinks he felt somethin'::**

At this Shadeweaver tuned in and concentrated more on the task at hand. As she soared higher and scanned the area below, Shadeweaver could not see anything out of the ordinary. The city in the distance seemed peaceful enough and the desert seemed devoid of activity; the skies surrounding her were also empty, safe a few birds that flew overhead. As Shadeweaver followed her gaze along the ground, she noticed something odd, however.

**::Jazz, it might be nothing but there is a large area of recently overturned Earth. It looks like it was made in the past couple of hours::**

**::Seems significant to me Shade. Where about?::**

**::About five miles East of where you are::**

**::Alright, Bee and I'll take care of this; you just keep an optic out for Decepticons::**

Shadeweaver ten continued to focus on both the radar and the area surrounding her. Although she could not detect anything out of the ordinary, those Decepticons were not like jets that could be easily detected via her usual methods; this task took upmost diligence and concentration. Listening and watching for even the slightest odd frequency, Shadeweaver eventually noticed an odd static. Although it seemed like normal background noise to the untrained human ear, her heightened sensor ranges could tell that this frequency matched one of those Optimus gave her in her databurst.

**::Jazz, Bumblebee: I've just picked up on a Decepticon frequency; I do not know who or where they are but please be on your guard::**

**::Right, thanks Shade::** Bumblebee chimed, **::Jazz and I agree the dug up Earth is suspicious. We'll call Optimus; you be careful up there::**

"Damn, what I wouldn't give for some cloud coverage right now," Shadeweaver vented, suddenly feeling exposed in the brilliant blue sky she was enjoying so much before. Watching her radar and her environment like a hawk, three blips suddenly appeared on the edge of her radar.

**::My radar has just picked up on three Decepticon signatures. They are 50 miles due south-east closing in fast::**

**::Right, I'll get back-up. No doubt it'll be ol' Screamer; you be careful and high tail it outta there if ya get inta trouble!::**

**::Right::**

"Yeah, and no doubt he's pissed after our last encounter," Shadeweaver said to herself as three dots became visible in the sky. Shadeweaver then transformed into her bipedal mode; time put a brave face on.

**o0o0o**

Soaring through the air at great caution over the jets heading in her direction, she flanked left observing them as they reached within her airspace. Shadeweaver watched as the lead, tricoloured jet boldly transformed along with his two partners either side as she usually did with her brother and sister. The three jets were similar in build to her own but bulker; the lead jet wore an annoying overconfident smirk that she'd like to slap off his face.

"Ah. So if it isn't the magical, disappearing femme that interfered with our operations yesterday," the jet sneered, with a hint of distaste in his voice, "We meet again, I see," he added.

"Yeah? What of it?" Shadeweaver snorted, not liking his condensing attitude one bit, "Want an encore?" she added.

"How generous of you to offer but I think we'll pass," Starscream smirked "What I _would_ like, however, is to know why a little Seeker femme such as yourself is all the way out here on her lonesome? Have the Autobots abandoned you already?" he sneered.

"Naw; just enjoying a morning flight, mate," Shadeweaver lied a little, "You Jokers must be bored outta your minds if picking on a solo femme's the best thing you could come up with," she added.

"As much as it seems feasible, I can detect two other Autobots nearby," Starscream hinted, "Now tell me, little Femme. What is your business in our designated area?" he asked as his feigned humour dissipated.

"Che! Like I'd tell you, Screechy," Shadeweaver taunted; his expression soured at this.

"Hn! Call me that again, Femme, and I will most certainly blast you from the sky!" Starscream suddenly snapped, raising his cannon, "You'll do well to show me some respect!" he growled.

 _'Damn, this one's got a short fuse_ ,' Shadeweaver thought _, 'this could actually work in my favour'._

"Yeah? Well, here respect is earned, Screamy," Shadeweaver snorted, "Besides, you said that last time and if I'm not mistaken, you couldn't even shoot straight," she huffed with a smirk.

"Listen you insufferable glitch!" Starscream growled, composure faltering, "I am _Starscream_ , commander of the entire Seeker fleet and Second in Command of the Decepticons! You will do well to remember that!" he screeched.

"Yeah? Well, all I see is some femme with severe personality issues," Shadeweaver scoffed; the other two jets snickered in response.

"Why you _ignorant -!_ " Starscream spluttered, "I am a _mech_ not a femme!" he yelled.

"Oh. Yeah?" Shadeweaver smirked, "Well, with a voice like that who could tell?" she shrugged, feigning innocence. Starscream then made something akin to a strangled squawk as Thundercracker and Skywarp almost fell out of the sky laughing so hard.

"BWAHAHAHA!" Thundercracker laughed " _Oh!_ _Primus!_ She sure got ya there, Screamer! HAHAHA!" he convulsed.

" _ **WHAAA-!?**_ " Starscream shrieked in horror, "WHY YOU _**LITTLE _-_!? YOU WILL REGRET THAT YOU INSOLENT PIT-SPAWN!" **_ he screeched, optics blazing before lunging at her with Shadeweaver dodging him and transforming into her jet mode.

"Whoa! Looks like Screamer's really slagged off," Bumblebee commented, "I'd shoot but they're moving around way too fast" he admitted with his weapon at the ready.

"Just hang tight Bee," Jazz said, "The cavalry should arrive in a breem," he added.

 _'Alright. Plan A: Piss off Screamer: done,'_ she thought, firing her thrusters with the enraged Decepticon in hot pursuit, ' _Now if I can just get Plan B to work_ ,' she hummed. Barrel-rolling with turbines roaring through the air, the two seekers zipped at full throttle in the sky. Scanning the area, as well as dodging missiles, Shadeweaver noticed a large forested area shrouded in shadow.

 _'Perfect_ ,' she smirked, ' _The idiot's too caught up in his own rage to process what's happening,'_

**::Hey, guys. Tell the others to head for the forest. I'm hoping to catch him off guard like last time::**

**::Sure thing, lil' miss. Keep those sweet moves comin'::**

Then much like last time, Shadeweaver dipped down at great speed, dodge missiles and null-rays in her wake. Then as Shadeweaver lunged for the forest floor, Starscream veered off at the last moment; like last time, the explosion for her impact did not register. The femme had vanished as if she never existed.

"Fraggit, not this again!" Starscream roared in frustration as he landed near the forest. Shadeweaver chuckled as he stomped over the shadow in which she entered.

**::Hey, Screamer. What's the matter? I thought you didn't want an encore:: she jibed through his comm. system.**  
**::Femme! I swear, once I get my servos on you, your dismembered helm will be mounted as a trophy on my wall!::**

"Will you two just _shut the frag up_ and actually be of some help!?" Starscream glared at his wing brothers, still howling with laughter " _Primus!_ I can't take you _anywhere!_ " he whined, both irked and humiliated. Shadeweaver couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at the oh-so-great trine leader's inconvenience.

"Oh. Alright," Thundercracker chuckled as he and Skywarp eventually ceased laughing and joined their commander in the forest, "Learn to lighten up, will ya?"

"Yeah, _Screamella,_ " Skywarp teased before warping away from Starscream's fist.

"One day your dentas won't be worth saving!" Starscream pouted, " _Anyway_ , back to the task at hand, do either of you detect that femme's signal?" he asked.

"Come to think of it, no; not even a whiff of static," Thundercracker hummed, listening for any interference, "It was strong less than a breem ago; it's like she suddenly ceased to exist," he added.

"But that is not possible!" Starscream shrieked, "How can anyone just wink out of existence like that!? I have even been receiving comm. messages from that blasted Glitch!" he argued

"Hmm. Perhaps she can enter a different reality somehow," Thundercracker said thoughtfully.

"Interdimensional phasing!" Starscream said as it dawned on him; he had heard of this ability back when Cybertron was still relatively peaceful. It was then that Starscream remembered the mountain incident and realised one thing that the mountain and the forest had in common. "Slaggit! She's been using the shadows; she is a shade-phaser!" he shrieked but as he said this, his own internal radar blipped with signals of several others heading in their direction.

"Screamer, we've got company!" Skywarp spoke up, confirming his readings.

"Slag! She must have informed the Autobots!" Starscream shrieked but before they could do anything about it, a familiar voice could be heard.

"Stop right where you are, we have you surrounded," Optimus spoke up and now several vehicles emerged into the clearing, transforming and aiming their weapons at them. It was then that the Femme herself launched out of the shadowy ground, with a triumphant smirk before aiming her own cannons at them.

Then with lasers going off in every direction, the outnumbered Decepticons fired how many missiles and null-rays they could before being forced out of the forest.

"You will not get away with this, Femme!" Starscream screeched, "You mark my words, you will regret ever tangling with me!" he shrieked before he and his brothers disappeared into the distance.

**o0o0o**

"So they were planting an energon line?" Bumblebee asked.

"Correct; it seems that they were planning to syphon energy from the area underground and convert that into energon," Optimus answered, "I am assuming that Starscream and his trine were overseeing production and we just happened to get in the way. If we hadn't stopped them right then, there was no telling what kind of havoc that may have caused" he added.

"But why? Why would anyone want to do that?" Shadeweaver asked, "I mean, I know Humans are no saints either but those guys?" she added.

"Because that is what Decepticons are, Shadeweaver," Optimus hummed, "Unlike the Autobots, who believe in the peace and freedom of all sentient beings, no matter what age, gender or race; the Decepticons only believe in self-preservation and the destruction of worlds for their own material gain. When you receive your data chip from Ratchet, all will become much clearer to you," he explained.

"By the way, that was pretty sweet how you handled Screamer," Bumblebee chimed, "He was sure slagged off!" he added.

"Yeah, it was pretty intense; never seen anyone lose a gasket so fast," Shadeweaver chuckled a little.

"Heh. I know a certain medic who could rival that," Sideswipe said knowingly before a loud metallic _clang_ of a flying wrench could be heard, "Ow! It was just a joke, slaggit!" he whined, holding his helm. The rest of the Autobots then burst out laughing.

"Anyway, with recent events taking place," Optimus spoke up, gaining everyone's attention, "Shadeweaver; you have proven yourself to be trustworthy and just to our cause. I know it is still early days with much to learn and that you have only known us for a day at the most but I, and I'm sure others will agree, would like to consider you an official Autobot. There is no dishonour in declining but would you like to accept our offer?" he asked.

"Well, judging by what I've seen from the Decepticons, sure; you have yourself an Autobot," Shadeweaver replied with a grin.

"Awesome! Welcome to da club, lil' Miss," Jazz patted her shoulder with a wide grin.

"In that case, welcome, Shadeweaver," Optimus replied with a smile in his optics, "As you are now an official Autobot, you now have the right to bear out insignia and take up post as an aerial scout," he added.

"Great, thanks a lot for this," Shadeweaver started, "I hope you don't mind but I would like keep my old RAF as well as the Autobot insignia; even though I'm now an Autobot, I still consider myself an RAF officer," she added.

"You may do as you wish," Optimus replied, "It is your choice whatever insignia you choose to wear but know that as long as you are loyal to our cause, you will always be one of us", he added.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile:

"I cannot believe that could have been so stupid as to rely on _you_ for anything of importance," the overlord sneered down distastefully at his second-in command, who wiped a tickle of energon from a well-aimed fist, "Thanks to your incompetence, our energon extraction line has been severed!" he growled.

"But lord Megatron!" Starscream interjected, "That seeker femme! She-!"

"SILENCE!" Megatron roared, "If you cannot even take care of _one_ femme, then you truly are more incompetent than I give you credit for!" he yelled.

"But sir, she is a Shade-phaser!" Starscream yelled back; this caught Megatron's attention.

"A what now?" Megatron asked.

"A Shade-phaser; she is able to enter inter-dimensional realities using shadow," Starscream replied, "Neither of us could detect nor reach her once she had phased and before we knew it, we were ambused!" he added.

"Interesting; a Shade-phaser, you say," Megatron reiterated, "I have witnessed inter-dimensional phasing in the past; they can be rather fickle foes," he hummed.

"There is one other thing, Megatron," Starscream started, "I have noticed that her signal is it that of a trine leader. I sense that she may have formed a trine bond but I do not recall ever seeing her on Cybertron or the archives. All other seekers I know are already bound," he hinted.

"Oh? Is that a fact" Megatron said more so to himself, "Interesting. Soundwave: have you found anything about this seeker yet?" he asked his communications officer.

"Yes, my lord; I have searched every archive and file that exist on Cybertron yet there is no recollection of any Seeker femme by that description; but she _is_ listed on the Royal Air Force Database," Soundwave replied, bringing up a file, this caught Megatron and Starscream's attention, "The Seeker is listed as a Non-biological life form under the designation, Shadeweaver; registration NBESW-F-15SE. She is currently stationed at Lossiemouth, Scotland with status of Wing Commander," he explained.

"Hmm. Interesting that she is not recognised on the Cybertron Archives," Megatron hummed, "Keep searching for information about our mystery Seeker, Soundwave; I want no stone left unturned," he ordered. Megatron then looked back at the image of the Seeker on the database. A smirk played across his faceplates.


	4. Realisation

_**The Seeker Code of Honour** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Realisation**

Later that evening, Megatron sat upon his throne of the Nemesis, quietly contemplating recent turn of events. The base was quiet as many of his crew had retired to their berthrooms, leaving only him and his loyal Communications Officer in the main bridge. Glancing up from his datapad, Megatron spied Soundwave still pouring through the many, many files of both Cybertron and Earth while Lasorbeak sat perched atop the monitor. If Megatron could commend Soundwave of anything, it would be his diligence.

"My Lord," Soundwave eventually spoke up, breaking the stifling silence, "I believe I may have found something of worth," he added.

"Proceed," Megatron urged him with intrigue.

"There has been no recollection of any file on Cybertron of Shadeweaver or any Seeker of a similar signal," Soundwave started, "But there has been a recollection of surge from the Allspark," he revealed.

"An Allspark surge? Interesting," Megatron said simply, "How long ago was this?" he asked.

"According to the Cybertron Archives, the surge was approximately 9.2 Million Solar Cycles ago but no sparkling creation was ever recorded," Soundwave stated, "Theory: Shadeweaver was created by the Allspark here on Earth," he suggested.

"I see," Megatron said simply with a smile forming as everything began to fall into place, "Though it may seem far-fetched, the power of the Allspark is unfathomable; it would not surprise me in the least to hear of such," he added.

"There is one other thing, Lord Megatron," Soundwave spoke up, "Shadeweaver is also partnered with pilots Squadron Leader Joseph McDowell and Flight Lieutenant Catherine McDowell. They may be of significance," he added, bringing up files containing images of two Humans, including one of them sitting on Shadeweaver's shoulders.

"Is that a fact; and that little piece of information from Starscream about being a trine leader, surely it could not be that simple," Megatron mumbled as he recalled the human pilots mentioned in Shadeweaver's RAF file; his smile broadened as it all became clear, "But it is. Well, I believe we have finally figured you out, little Femme. Soundwave: I would appreciate it if you kept what you have discovered about our little foe between ourselves. Do not mention this to anyone, especially not Starscream. That is an order," he commended.

"As you wish, my Lord," Soundwave replied simply before returning to his duties. Megatron sat with a wicked smirk, optics blazing in anticipation.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile:

"So what was that thing you said about her being a trine leader?" Thundercracker asked Starscream, who was reading a datapad on his berth.

"Like I said, the glitch somehow had a trine leader signal" Starscream vented with annoyance of being upstaged by the Seeker femme earlier.

"But how in the pit is that even possible?" Thundercracker asked with an optical ridge raised.

"I don't know, TC," Starscream said, annoyed, "You know just as much as I do at this point," he added throwing his arms up in defeat.

"Man, dunno about you but this whole thing's making my processor hurt," Skywarp vented, staring up at the ceiling.

"What processor…" Starscream mumbled making Thundercracker snort with laugher, receiving a glare from Skywarp.

"You're gonna regret that, Screamella," Skywarp retorted with a smirk before ducking from a flying datapad.

"Call me that one more time and I'll slag your aft into next vorn!" Starscream warned with a pout.

"Screamella, Screamella," Skywarp teased in a sing-song voice, " _Screameeeeellllaaa-_ "

" _ **That does it!**_ " Starscream shrieked before pouncing at him as he warped away, " _ **Come back here, you slaggin' Afthead!**_ " he screeched as he managed to pin him down. The two trine brothers then ended up wrestling on the floor. Thundercracker just rolled his optics as he got up from the berth.

"Alright, alright… Break it up, you two," Thundercracker drawled as he pulled the two seekers away from each other, "I swear you two are like a pair of slaggin' sparklings," he chided.

"He's the one who started it," Skywarp pouted.

" _ **Me!?**_ " Starscream shrieked in disbelief, " _You're_ the one who started it and you fraggin' know it, Aftscrap!" he yelled.

"Wanna say that to ma faceplates!?" Skywarp challenged.

"Sure thing, _Aftscrap_ ," Starscream reiterated with a merciless sneer before they started fighting with each other again.

"Oi! I said break it up!" Thundercracker yelled, yanking their wings.

"Ow! _TC!_ " Skywarp whined.

"Fraggit! That hurt, Slagger!" Starscream complained.

"Good _now calm the frag down_ , ya Aftheads," Thundercracker grumbled, running little circles on their wing tips with his digits. The two quarrelling Seekers then released their tensions from their trine member's touch, "Better?" he asked.

"I guess Megatron _has_ been getting under my protoform lately," Starscream vented a little.

"Che. Is that anything new?" Thundercracker said with humour in his voice.

"Hm. Anyway, I suppose I should perform an energon analysis," Starscream said, straightening up, "I shall be back in a joor," he added before leaving the quarters.

"Knowing his luck, I'll give him three," Thundercracker vented knowingly.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base of the Ark, Ratchet was busy fiddling with the helm of a certain Seeker femme. As Shadeweaver lay on the medical berth, she eventually felt the panel on her helm snap shut.

"There you go, that's one datachip installed," Ratchet spoke up, leaning back from her, "I have also taken the opportunity to update your radar and firewall so that you will now be able to safely detect incoming signals from much further way," he added.

"Awesome, thanks Ratchet," Shadeweaver replied as barrages of data flooded into her CPU. Her faceplates went still as she sifted through the information about Cybertron and the war that settled into her system. As well as general information, Shadeweaver was also shown various images of both Cybertron in its Golden Age and after the war. What she saw was nothing like had imagined.

"Blimey; that's some war you had," Shadeweaver commented, "Was it really that bad?" she asked, unnerved by the images of sheer destruction and carnage that filtered through.

"Believe me, what you are seeing now doesn't even scratch the surface," Ratchet replied solemnly.

"No kidding," Shadeweaver said quietly, seeing vast areas of levelled cities and ruined wasteland, "I've been in a few Human wars but this is just immense and it's still going?" she asked with a raised optical ridge.

"Til this very Cycle," Ratchet replied simply.

"Wow. The Decepticons really are a bunch of jerks and that's putting it lightly," Shadeweaver said, "I knew they were bad but I had no idea of the sheer scale," she admitted.

"Well now you know," Ratchet said.

"Wait… What is this?" Shadeweaver asked, furrowing her optical ridges as a text file came up, "Code of Honour?" she quizzed.

"Ah. Yes; the Seeker Code of Honour" Ratchet nodded, "It was a set of laws created very early on in Cybertronian history; every Seeker learns this Code very early on in sparklinghood. The Code of Honour is based around the basic Seeker programming, which as you probably know, can be unpredictable at times. To a Cybertronian, the words may not mean much but to a Seeker, they are described to vibrate with their very being. I had a copy of it roughly translated from Seeker cant, which I felt that you should know,"

Shadeweaver then took that moment to read through the transcript and as she did so, found that the words did indeed resonate with her on a personal level.

_~Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

"I see. It makes sense," Shadeweaver said simply, letting the new information settle, "All of it" she added.

"Hm. I am sure that it does," Ratchet said knowingly, "Anyway, you are discharged. I highly suggest that you get to recharge so that your CPU gets a chance to settle; I would not want you in my med-bay due to having fried your memory circuits," he warned.

"Oh. Don't worry, I'm beat anyway," Shadeweaver chuckled a little before sitting up and sliding off the berth, "See ya," she added before leaving.

**o0o0o**

Eventually reaching her quarters, Shadeweaver almost flopped into her berth, exhausted by her recent turn of events.

"Jeeze! What a day!" Shadeweaver vented as her CPU continued to cycle through both the events of her life within the past couple of days and the data flooding in from her datachip. As Shadeweaver gazed up at the ceiling, reflecting the golden rays of dusk, she couldn't help but recall that Code. Everything on that Code had struck her deep, it was like it was always embedded within her. Even if she couldn't really describe why it resonated, it did; it was a reflection on who she was by nature. The one that struck her most, however, was the first rule; never to offline Trine members. Just the very thought, the very idea made her shudder. Shadeweaver loved both Joe and Cathy deeply and would hate it if anything happened to them. She never really gave her Human trine mate's fragility too much of a thought before now, but now it flashed like a neon sign before her optics and it scared her. As her logic processor whined, however, Shadeweaver realised how silly she was being. Joe and Cathy were two highly-trained RAF Aces and were almost capable as she has. The chances of them dying anytime soon was hardly likely but even as Shadeweaver convinced herself of this, she still couldn't help but feel that little bit of doubt floating in her spark. Deciding that she had spent long enough mulling over the what-ifs, Shadeweaver eventually gave into her processor, aching from overuse. With images resting on her two comrades, Shadeweaver finally allowed herself to drift off into a much-needed recharge.

**o0o0o**

Lounging on his berth, Thundercracker looked up to see a beaten Starscream trudge into their quarters before throwing himself onto his berth.

"Wow. You sure look slagged," Thundercracker commented.

"Ugh! Slagged doesn't even begin to describe it," Starscream vented, "A fraggin' energon cube exploded in my faceplates; it's like Primus lives to torture me," he groaned

"Slag. You sure have rotten luck," Thundercracker commented as a datapad flew past his nose from Skywarp's direction, "Warp, what are you doing?" he vented, seeing his other trine brother throwing tons of junk onto his berth and the floor, "Asides from making a fragging mess, that is," he added, with a look of disproval.

"Bah! I'm sure I had it in here somewhere," Skywarp mumbled, continuing to throw more and more trinkets and gadgets from his subspace. Starscream and Thundercracker just exchanged looks as Skywarp kept churning out more and more old, probably malfunctioning datapads and odd contraptions.

"Primus, just how much slag have you got in there?" Thundercracker commented, eyeing the mountain of crap building around Skywarp's berth, "You need a serious defrag, Bro," he stated.

"Heh. Yeah; some of this stuff goes way back," Skywarp chuckled a little, "Now if I can just find that fraggin' thing," he growled to himself.

"Skywarp, I think we should seriously work on what and what not to keep in your subspace," Starscream vented, covering his faceplates in embarrassment, "No wonder your subspace's been glitching," he added.

"Yeah, yeah… whatever," Skywarp muttered, "Huh? A-ha! Here it is; feast your optics on this, Bros!" he grinned, holding an old dusty datapad. Optical ridge raised, Starscream glanced at Thundercracker before taking the datapad before looking it over with scrutiny; this was when Starscream noticed something etched on the back.

"Huh? Wait… No way" Starscream gaped seeing the crest of arms before turning on the cracked screen, "No fragging way; those are our trining documents! How the in the pit did you get this!?" he asked, optics wide as he gently held the datapad as though it may spontaneously combust at any moment.

"Heh, let's just say I put my warp ability to good use" Skywarp grinned, "It's been in there for vorns, kinda forgot about it" he admitted.

"Why am I not surprised?" Starscream drawled, rolling his optics, "But this… this is incredible," he added quietly as he read through the transcripts, the pledges and their names written in Seeker Cant. Though he was a battle-hardened Decepticon, Starscream had a soft spot for his trine and to actually hold something that formed his trine in a tradition now lost with the war struck him.

"Yeah; I think there's photos on it too," Skywarp said, "Unless that in another datapad somewhere," he mumbled before turning back to his pile.

"Warp, I think you've done more than enough," Thundercracker said, holding his hands up.

"No wait. Oh! _Primus!_ " Starscream spoke up before chuckling to himself, holding up an image of three seekerlings.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah! Now that's what I'm talkin' about," Skywarp grinned.

"Primus sake!" Thundercracker laughed, "Even then you were strutting your stuff" he commented.

"Well, that comes with the package of being Trine Leader _and_ Air Commander," Starscream said with a smug smirk.

"And look at Warp," Thundercracker grinned, "Mischief written all over his faceplates," he chuckled.

"You know it, bro" Skywarp smirked, "Can't believe we were only a vorn old," he added.

"Yes…" Starscream said wistfully, "Time surely does fly, as the Humans put it so eloquently," he added.

"Anyways, I'm off ta recharge guys," Skywarp spoke up, as Starscream continued to look through the datapad, "Keep it if ya want, by the way. It'd probably get lost in here," he chuckled knowingly, tapping his chassis. Starscream couldn't help but snort a little in amusement as he finally subspaced the old datapad.

Starscream then too lay back on his berth. As he heard Thundercracker go off into recharge, Starscream just gazed up at the ceiling. As the memories of their trining cycled through his processors as clear as the sun rise upon this planet, the pledge and most importantly of all, the Code filtered through his systems. Though Megatron indeed got on his circuits most of the time, he could at least be thankful that he respected their Code of Honour. Processor beginning to squeal in protest, Starscream eventually decided to give in to the urge and entered his own peaceful recharge.


	5. Deception

_**The Seeker Code of Honour** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Deception**

Zipping through the air, she dodged and swayed through missiles were going off in just about every direction. It had been almost a week since Shadeweaver had first met the Autobots and now they were yet again locked in a full-scale battle with the Decepticons. With so much going on around her, the only thing that Shadeweaver could do right now was evade the three Seekers practically snapping at her thrusters.

' _Damn. I could really do with Joe and Cathy's help right now,_ ' Shadeweaver thought grimly; though she was more than capable of fighting by herself, she was outnumbered and vulnerable.

**::Where is your wit now, Seeker? You have no Trine, there is no shadow for you to crawl back into and we have many vorns of experience than you ever will!::**

Shadeweaver didn't answer for he was right. Her wing brother and sister were miles away across the Atlantic Ocean and she couldn't even get near a shadow with all the explosions and bullets in the air. Something else that Shadeweaver noticed was the fact that Starscream's Trine seemed more in sync this time around. Starscream was more in control and they all moved together flawlessly, mirroring each other's manoeuvres to a T. If they weren't trying to kill her right now in this ruddy war, Shadeweaver would have admired their performance. Quite simply she paled in comparison but of course she was not going to admit to that. As she soared through the battle field getting nowhere fast, Shadeweaver then decided that it was time she to go on the offensive.

As Shadeweaver continued to rocket through the sky, she then suddenly flipped in the air, transformed and fired her cannons at her pursuers, catching them off guard.

" _ **Gah!"**_ Starscream shrieked in surprise as a ray clipped his shoulder; Shadeweaver then took that opportunity by immediately transforming back into her alt mode and diving into the battlefield. " _Blasted Glitch!_ _**After her!**_ " Starscream screeched as he and his trine followed her in hot pursuit. As she dived towards the ground, Shadeweaver then spotted a large enough shadow for her to use and veered ever so slightly towards it; unfortunately for her however, this did not unnoticed.

' _She's going to shade-phase,'_ Starscream spoke through their bond, _'Skywarp, intercept her,'_ he ordered.

' _You got it, Bro,'_ Skywarp replied before winking out. Then as Shadeweaver neared the safe-haven of the shadow within arm's reach, a mass that was Skywarp suddenly appeared in front of her. With only an astrosecond's worth of time to react, Shadeweaver quickly transformed, pushed herself off the offending mech and landed haphazardly on the ground; she immediately sank into the his shadow.

"Slaggit! She used my own shadow!" Skywarp cursed loudly.

"You're fragging joking!" Starscream vented in annoyance as he and Thundercracker landed, "From what I know of Shade-phasers, they can only exit shadows from which they enter so keep your logic circuits tuned," he growled.

' _That's what you think, Screamer,'_ Shadeweaver thought knowingly to herself, watching them from the safe-haven of her shadow, _'I maybe in Skywarp's shadow for now but it'll soon become yours.'_ Then just as the thought occurred, the rift in her shadow-verse widened, clearly showing Starscream from behind.

' _Bingo,'_ Shadeweaver smirked to herself. This was when Shadeweaver fired her thrusters and shot back out into the open.

"Screamer! Behind you!" Skywarp yelled but as Starscream wheeled around, he was met with a well-aimed thruster to the faceplates.

" _ **GAH!**_ " Starscream cried as his helm snapped back from the impact, " _ **Fragging Glitch!**_ " he screamed, muffled by his servos; Shadeweaver quickly dived back into the shadow before he regained his composure. "Skywarp, you Afthead! Why didn't you just shoot the Fragger!?" Starscream snapped, showing his furious, energon-spattered faceplates, "Now she's gone and done it again!" he spat.

"Hey! It's not my fault you're too slow!" Skywarp retorted; Starscream was about to fire back another insult when Thundercracker stepped in.

"Alright. Let's not start this again," Thundercracker vented, "Especially when we're right in the middle of a slaggin' battle!" he hinted.

"You're right," Starscream vented, _'Besides, we_ _ **could**_ _use her ability to our advantage,'_ he hinted through the bond with a smirk of renewed confidence.

' _What do you have in mind, Screamer?'_ Thundercracker asked with an equally inquisitive smirk.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile; Shadeweaver blissfully unaware of the strategies that unravelled. Deep within the void of shadow, Shadeweaver waited until the time was right. The shadow she spied then widened once more and she fired her thrusters. Leaping out into the open, Shadeweaver launched her attack until she was suddenly forcefully grabbed by the wings from behind.

"Ow! What!?" Shadeweaver yelled in surprise; she saw it was Thundercracker; "Hey! Let go!" she complained as the mech restrained her. She squirmed but the iron grip on her sensitive wings soon halted her efforts.

"So, you thought you could use our own shadows against us and get away with it, did you?" Starscream sneered as he advanced on her; he then forced her to look up into his fiery optics, "Well, look good, Femme, I'm the last thing you ever see," he added in a dangerous tone. ( **A/N:** Dragonheart reference ;))

Then just as Shadeweaver thought it was all over as Starscream raised his Null-ray at her, photon rays suddenly open fired at the Trine, forcing them to drop her.

"Slaggit! It's the Autobots!" Thundercracker winced as a shot hit his back and rejoined the Trine. Ironhide, Ratchet, Sideswipe and Optimus then rushed into scene, joining Shadeweaver's side.

"Y'all right, Ma'am?" asked Ironhide.

"Yeah, thanks 'Hide," Shadeweaver replied gratefully as she helped return her own firepower, " _ **AH!**_ " she suddenly yelped as a stray photon ray from Soundwave took a large chunk out of her wing, " _Dammit!_ " she winced as waves of searing pain shot through her frame.

"Shadeweaver, are you alright?" Ratchet asked, concerned.

"He hit ma wing!" Shadeweaver grunted; Ratchet could see energon ooze out of a wide, furiously sparking wound.

"Here; I can't do much for it just now but I _can_ disable your pain receptors," Ratchet said hurriedly as she felt a sudden click and a numbness took over her wing, "There ya go."

"Thanks a bunch Ratch," Shadeweaver replied in relief before resuming the battle. Then after what seemed like hours of battle, the Autobots eventually gained the advantage.

" _Frag!_ We're getting slagged here!" Thundercracker grunted.

"Just keep firing!" Starscream cried in desperation. Now seeing that the Decepticons were easily becoming overpowered and that their energon levels were going down, Megatron could only take one course of action.

"Decepticons, retreat!" he called. Then not having to be told twice, Starscream and his Trine, followed by the others, transformed and fled from the area.

"Yeah! And stay out!" Sideswipe called after them as the Autobots cheered. Then after tending to the injured and gathering everyone, Optimus eventually lead the Autobots back to the safety of the Ark.

**o0o0o**

"My, he certainly did a number on you there," Ratchet commented as he examined the large chunk of wing missing from a certain Seeker femme on the medical berth, "It looks like we'll have to replace this entire section; you're lucky the blast didn't hit the high-lift flap or the hinge joint, or you really would have felt it," he added.

"Aye, been there," Shadeweaver said knowingly, "Next time I'll kick that mech in the crotch-buttons and see how he likes it," she grumped; Ratchet chuckled at this.

"Well not to worry," Ratchet spoke up, "With Wheeljack and I, you should be up and flying again within two cycles," he added.

"Good; I was scared I was gonna be grounded for like a week," Shadeweaver vented in relief, "Been there before and certainly do not want a repeat," she added.

"And I bet the base residents do not want a repeat of that either," Ratchet mused knowingly.

"Ha-ha, you're no' half right there," Shadeweaver chuckled.

"Anyway, you're free to go for now" Ratchet said, "Tomorrow, I'll get Wheeljack to construct the new wing segment and I will hail you when it is ready," he added.

"Alright, thanks Ratchet," Shadeweaver said before leaving the med-bay.

**o0o0o**

Back at the Nemesis a certain Second in Command was being interrogated by the infamous Decepticon Overlord.

"You have failed me yet again, Starscream!" Megatron sneered down at the Seeker getting up from yet another attack.

"But my Lord, we had her! We were ambushed!" Starscream protested but was cut off by a powerful backhand, denting his already leaking faceplates.

"I have had it up to here with your incompetence!" Megatron snapped, "Ever we came out of Stasis, you have brought us nothing but failure after failure. If you have nothing more to bring to our attention then get out of my sight!" he seethed. Starscream then just glared sourly at the Warlord eventually venting in defeat before turning heel and stomping out of the throne room, muttering curses in his wake.

Not caring who was in the room at the time, Starscream burst through the door to his Trine's quarters before slamming himself down at the desk.

"You really shouldn't rile him up, you know," Thundercracker spoke up, looking up from a datapad as he lounged on his berth.

"Shut up!" Starscream snapped, muffled by his servos covering his faceplates.

"Just saying," Thundercracker mumbled before turning back to his datapad, letting his Trine Leader vent to himself.

**o0o0o**

Later in the evening, most of the Decepticons had retired to their quarters, including Starscream and his Trine Mates.

"Hey Screamer," Skywarp spoke up, gaining his attention from a small vial of energon at his desk, "Do you think there's other Seekers out there we don't know about?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, Warp," Starscream admitted, who was in a much better mood than he was a couple of joors ago, "Judging by the surprise encounter of this unknown Seeker and the fact that she harbours a Trine signal, there is a good chance that there could be," he surmised.

"Does Megatron knows about this?" Thundercracker asked.

"Yes; he knows about the Trine signal. As for who they are, most likely not," Starscream replied, "I'm sure he would let us know if he still respects our Code," he added.

"Yeah, about that," Thundercracker spoke up, "I know she is an Autobot and all but are we really going to offline her? Wouldn't that be against the Code? I mean, she _is_ a Seeker and she _does_ have a Trine," he hinted. Starscream then let out a vent as he realised that he _did_ have a point.

"At this point I'm not entirely sure, TC," Starscream admitted, looking up at the ceiling in thought, "As much as she is infuriating, she is still a Seeker and a Trine Leader as you say. At this point I would rather wait it out and see what transpires," he added; though not saying a word, Thundercracker merely nodded in agreement. These were certainly murky waters as neither of them had encountered the problem of having to offline an Autobot Seeker before. Would their programming and the Code of Honour overcome the Decepticon cause? Only time would tell.

Concurrently, back in the throne room, Megatron watched as the last of his Seeker troops left for their quarters. The Overlord then turned to his Communications Officer as soon as they were out of audio receptor range.

"Soundwave: patch me up with the local Air Force," Megatron ordered, "It is about time we put our plans into action," he added with a malicious smirk.

"Yes, my Lord Megatron," Soundwave replied as he hacked into the military network with relative ease.

**o0o0o**

Back at the Autobot base, Shadeweaver sat outside watching the sunset. Though she was grounded for the time being, that did not mean that she couldn't spend her time enjoying outdoors from ground. Though she would much rather be up in the wide open skies that beckoned her, Shadeweaver certainly didn't find basking in the evening sun with a refreshing cube of energon unpleasant. As Shadeweaver took the last dregs of her ration and set it aside, her thoughts then turned back to those she left behind.

"Hm. I wonder how Joe and Cathy are getting on without me?" she asked herself as she looked up at a flock of birds flying overhead.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, at a military base in Scotland, where it was still relatively light, two specks that were aircraft came into view.

 **::Squadron Leader McDowell to Control Tower, Squadron Leader McDowell to Control Tower. Permission to land? Over::** a male voice cracked into the radio.

 **::Aye; we hear ya loud and clear Joe, the strip's yours. Land whenever you're ready. Over::** the man at the panel replied.

 **::Thanks man. Over and out::** the male replied before fizzling out.

Then as two F-15 fighter jets completed their landing procedures, a male and a female emerged out of either aircraft. The male had short, brown hair with a square jaw and light stubble and the female had brown, shoulder-length hair tied into a tight plait. The male and female then dismounted their jets and walked into the hangar. As the two pilots conversed with some of the other pilots that were in the base, they were met by a young officer.

"Excuse me Squadron Leader McDowell sir," the man spoke up with a short salute, "Sorry for the intrusion but I have a message for both of you from RAF headquarters," he started.

"Oh?" the two pilots quizzed in unison.

"Yeah, it just came in an hour ago. It says that you and Cathy are ordered to be relocated to Portland IAP in Oregon, USA sir" the man replied.

"What? But what would the US Air Force want us for?" Joe asked, confused as he looked at Cathy who just shrugged in response.

"Nothing was said other than that, Sir but we can assure you that the message _is_ genuine," the man replied.

"So when are we to be supposedly relocated?" Cathy asked.

"As soon as possible, Ma'am," the officer replied.

"Alright, thanks Mark," Cathy thanked him, who saluted before leaving the hangar, "What was that all about?" she asked her brother.

"No idea; though the message seems genuine, something's fishy about all of this," Joe hummed, "Do you think we should go?" he asked.

"Well, it _is_ an order from headquarters but I agree it seems suspicious," Cathy said, "I think we should go but be extra cautious," she added.

"Hey, didn't Shade head over that way?" Joe spoke up, "It be nice to see her again."

"Yeah, maybe we'll even get to catch up with her," Cathy said hopefully, "Anyway, I say we turn in for the night; we'll probably be best leaving early in the morning when we're fresh," she suggest.

"Hey, hey… I'm your superior, you know," Joe joked as Cathy took charge as usual.

"Heh. Yeah but we all know that _I_ make the best decisions," Cathy smirked, "C'mon, let's get back; I'm beat," she added, giving her brother a playful slap on the arm. The two siblings then sauntered out of base back home.

**o0o0o**

Early next morning at around six AM, two pilots were doing their final checks on their aircraft.

"Everything seems alright to me," Joe spoke up as checked the dials for fuel and potential faults.

"Ayep, same here; ready to head out?" Cathy replied.

"Whenever you are," Joe answered as he strapped himself in before shutting the cockpit; Cathy soon followed suit. Joe and Cathy then gave a thumbs up to the engineers around about, who then left the premises back to the hangar.

**::Mission Control this is Squadron Leader and Flight Lieutenant McDowell requesting take off. Over::**

**::Aye, Joe, this is Mission Control. Request granted, take care man. Over::**

**::Thanks pal, you too. Over and out::**

Then with the go ahead, the two pilots then engaged their thrusters and were soon thundering down the runway before soaring into the wide open skies. Little did they know that this would be the last time that they would ever gaze upon British soil.


	6. Reunion

_**The Seeker Code of Honour** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Reunion**

_Through the skies he soared with the bustling world beneath him. Pride eradiated from his frame for he was the Commander of the skies and nothing stood in his way. Scouring over the many tall buildings that stood ignorant of the malice that would soon fall, he eyed his target. He smirked to himself as a tall, glass-domed building sat innocently in amongst a block of skyscrapers. Glancing at his wing brothers either side, he motioned them to follow._

_What was to follow was but a blur. Crashing into the glass roof, the trine were soon revelling in the chaos that ensued. What was a peaceful morning in the nursery of new sparks was soon awry with null-rays, screaming femmes and the wailing of the underdeveloped vocalisers of small sparklings._

_Though the pleas of sobbing femmes and the desperate cries of sparklings reached their audio receptors, all they did was laugh. The Trine laughed as they brought the nursing carriers to the deaths, letting no youngling live to tell the tale. Then with no more than a breem into their assault, there was nought but the wind whistling through the halls and walls. With pedes crunching and rolling over the rubble, and the bodies of younglings and carriers alike, they smirked at their handiwork. The Trine Leader, Scarlet in colour, then stopped. He looked down and spotted a tiny bundle in a pool of energon and picked up a frame barely a joor into the world. He looked at it, limp in his servos and optics dark; there was a brief moment of what seemed like remorse in his scarlet optics until a dark chuckle ringed his vocaliser. A dark glee then spread across his features as his servos tightened, metal bending and twisting as if made of rubber. Energon spurted from its tiny wires, smearing his servos in lilac. Then barely an astrosecond in, the tiny corpse crumbled in his digits, sprinkling through the stagnant air like dust._

" **Gah!** " he cried out, optics shooting open as he bolted upright. As his sensors came online with his spark pulsing in his chassis, his surroundings came into focus and he found himself sitting on his berth in his Trine's quarters. He ran his servos over his faceplates, venting as the imagery of the dead and dying sparklings from his recharge cycled through his processors.

 _'What in the pit was **that?** '_ he thought to himself as the imagery of crushing the tiny corpse in his servo stayed with him. Being a Seeker, the very thought or idea of offlining a sparkling disgusted him so to experience a memory cycle of a sparkling massacre from the murderer's point of view was a shock to the circuits. He looked at his servos as though still caked in the sparklings' energon.

"Screamer?" chimed the concerned voice of Skywarp in the darkened room, "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah… just need a moment," he lied but Skywarp could sense through their bond that all was not well. It certainly was not like Starscream to have an uneasy recharge.

"Starscream," Skywarp spoke up; the serious tone in his voice caught his attention, "You are not ok," he stated firmly. Starscream then took a moment and let out a long vent to settle his systems.

"I just had an unsettling memory cycle, Warp. Pay no mind," Starscream eventually said, "Most likely Megatron just sprung a connection loose; I will see to that in the morning," he added but deep down he knew this was something more.

"Alright, if ya say so," Skywarp hummed, knowing Starscream's stubbornness all too well, "I'm going back to recharge; see ya," he added before lying back on his berth. Starscream, too, then followed suit and settle back down into his berth. Then as Starscream allowed his internal systems to flush his CPU from the imagery that plagued him, he then drifted off back to recharge.

**o0o0o**

Relatively early in the morning, Starscream was the first to come out of recharge; or rather what little recharge he had. As he groggily got up of his berth and grabbed himself his ration of energon from the dispenser, Starscream was immediately taken back to that nursery as he eyed its purple sheen. He hadn't forgotten the memory cycle that ran through his CPU; the one depicting the shrill of many tiny new sparks as he crushed their frames one by one. What disturbed Starscream most of all was the fact that he couldn't tell whether this was actually a memory or not. Did he actually kill those sparklings or was it just something his CPU threw into the mix while sorting through various fragments of data? He hoped it was the latter but somehow his spark told him otherwise and he did not like it.

"Starscream, are you ok?" Thundercracker asked, leaning up from his berth with concern, "You've been staring at that energon for a whole breem," he added.

"I'm fine, TC," Starscream lied before downing the energon, "We are on energon duty this week starting from now; wake Skywarp and meet me at the hangar in a joor," he ordered before walking briskly out of his Trine quarters. Thundercracker, however, knowing Starscream since they were sparklings, knew that Starscream was hiding something. Thundercracker then just vented to himself before waking his younger Trine brother.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile: the sun's warm, red glow streamed into the window, allowing the golden décor of the Ark to show its brilliance. Optimus was already up, watching the spectacle before him from the rec. room; if there was one thing that he loved most about the Earth, it was the brilliant array of colours that bathed the sky during dawn and dusk. It was quite simply beautiful and he found it worked wonders in easing the tension of his frame in amongst the chaos surrounding the war.

"Hi Optimus, you're up early," commented a female voice; he turned to see Shadeweaver come into the rec. room.

"As are you," Optimus commented, "Is there something troubling you?" he asked.

"Nah, just couldn't recharge; Seekers aren't meant to be grounded, you know," Shadeweaver replied; though she seemed calm at first glance, Optimus noticed that functioning wing was hiked as if agitated.

"So I hear," Optimus said simply but with a kindly smile in his optics, "Fear not, however, I heard that Ratchet will be fitting your new wing this morning so hopefully you will be able to go on patrol this afternoon," he added.

"Oh! I certainly hope so," Shadeweaver vented, "Two days might not seem much but to me it's like ugh!" she added. "Not that I'm ungrateful or anything," Shadeweaver said, seeing how she may have come across, "I'm just sick of being confined, and of Sunny and Sides' stupid pranks," she added.

"Ah! Yes, those two have always been a bit of a challenge ever since sparklinghood," Optimus chuckled, "Poor Ironhide always seems to bear the brunt of their escapades."

"I noticed," Shadeweaver laughed a little, "Anyway, I'm gonna try and burn off some of this energy. See ya later," she added before leaving room. Since it was still pretty early, Shadeweaver decided to go outside for a little bit. Other than the obvious panging for the wide open skies through being grounded, Shadeweaver couldn't help but stop in her tracks as she felt a strange tugging sensation in her chest.

"That's odd, I only get that then when..." Shadeweaver pondered, "Nah, couldn't be," she added, dismissing the thought.

**o0o0o**

Five hours had passed after she awoke from a restless recharge and Shadeweaver was finally lying on her front on a medical berth as Ratchet worked on her damaged wing. By now Shadeweaver was practically climbing the walls through not having being airborne for two days straight. Though she was trying her hardest to remain still, it was now virtually impossible with all of the excess energy flowing through her systems.

" _Primus!_ Will you at least _try_ to remain still!?" Ratchet snapped, "Do you not realise how intricate some of the wiring is in here?" he chided.

"Sorry!" Shadeweaver said quickly, stiffening her frame as he continued sealing the wiring; though nice most of the time, Shadeweaver was well aware of the Medic's fearsome side when he snaps. She witnessed that just the other day, in fact.

_**-FLASHBACK-** _

_"So Shadeweaver, what's your agenda today?" Carly asked, who sat astride on her shoulder as they walked down the corridor._

_"Well, I can't really do much of anything until my wing's fixed," Shadeweaver vented a little, "Though I suppose I **could** try and learn some of the Cybertronian Ratchet put in my datachip," but just as she said, she herd raised voices coming from down the hallway. Exchanging looks with her Human friend, Shadeweaver then crept down the corridor out of curiosity until a wrench suddenly came whizzing out of nowhere with an almighty **WHAM** as it hit the wall._

_"What the-?" Shadeweaver started. Two mechs then scrambled out of the adjacent doorway._

_" **AAAAAAAAH!** " Sideswipe cried, "Scrap! You really slagged him off this time, Sunny!" he added with a squeal as another wrench flew past at a ferocious speed._

_" **Me!?** " Sunstreaker gawked, "It was **your** slaggin' idea in the first place, ya Afthead! **WHOA!** " he yelped as another wrench narrowly missed his helm. A furious Ratchet then emerged from the doorway with two wrenches drawn._

_"Holy crap!" Shadeweaver blurted out; both Carly and Shadeweaver just gaped at the spectacle before them._

_" **And stay out, you stupid, slaggin' Pit-spawns!** " Ratchet yelled before launching the wrenches followed by two loud clangs and groans of pain. The simmering Medic then stomped back into the med-bay, cursing under her breath before slamming the door shut. Shadeweaver and Carly just stood there eyes wide and jaws ajar._

_" **Well,** " Shadeweaver eventually said, breaking the awkward silence, "I say we stay away from **there** for the rest of the day," she added._

_"I definitely agree with you there, Shadeweaver," Carly agreed whole-heartedly._

_**-END FLASHBACK—** _

Shadeweaver just chuckled at the memory playing in her processor before being jolted out of her thoughts as she felt something snap shut on her wing.

"There you go," spoke up with a huff after only half a joor of work, "That's one wing segment complete. Now if I just enable your sensor relays, you should be flight-worthy within a breem," he added. Shadeweaver then felt a click before a strange tingling sensation travelled through the whole wing shaft. Then within a few astroseconds, she had a set of fully functioning wings again.

"Oh! _Finally._ I owe you one, Ratch," Shadeweaver said gratefully with glee in her voice, "You're absolute life-savers; you and Wheeljack," she added with a grin.

"Well, it comes with the occupation," Ratchet with a proud smile before setting his tools down, "Anyway, you are free to-" he added but saw that the Seeker had already zipped out of the med-bay with a short 'See ya.' Ratchet merely shook his helm in amusement with a small chuckle; " _Seekers…_ "

**o0o0o**

Now that her wing was finally fixed, Shadeweaver couldn't get out of the stuffy confines of the Ark fast enough. As soon as Shadeweaver crossed the threshold, she immediately transformed and blasted into the wide open skies. To feel the air rushing over her frame once more as her thrusters shot her into the atmosphere brought a huge sigh of relief to her. Upmost glee rippled through her being as she barrel-rolled through some cloud cover to feel the warm rays kiss her chassis.

"Oh! Man! This is _so_ much better!" Shadeweaver vented with a laugh of pure joy as she twisted and dived in her element. As Shadeweaver weaved sliced through a small cluster of puffy white clouds, her comm. system chimed.

 **::Hey, Shade. Enjoying yourself up there?::** chimed the amused voice of Bumblebee

**::Aye, you bet I am. Feels like forty tonnes have been lifted of me.::**

**::Heh-heh, I bet. Listen Shade, Prowl just told me and the twins that someone hacked into the military database recently.::**

**:: Oh?::**

**::Yeah, a pretty big breach it was too; according to him over seven billion files were accessed in under two hours.::**

**:: Damn. There's no way a Human could have done that, surely.::**

**::Yeah, we agree. Prowl said he ran an analysis on the supposed breech but there was no trace; he and Optimus said they want us to patrol around Portland IAP near here for any potential Decepticon activity.::**

**::Alright, then. Any word on what they were looking for, exactly?::**

**::Afraid not: whoever broke into the database knew what they were doing and covered themselves up pretty good. Optimus said he'd give you a comm. if anything worrying popped up.::**

**:: Ok. Welp, guess it's back to work.::**

As Shadeweaver flew overhead in the direction, with Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker following from the ground bellow, she was once again distracted by that strange pull in her chest.

 _'Strange, there it is again,'_ Shadeweaver thought to herself, _'The only time I get that is if Joe and Cathy are nearby but they're back at Lossiemouth; no way could it be them. Well, I guess it will have to wait; I have to weigh up my priorities,'_ she added before turning her attentions back to the task at hand. After almost an hour of travelling with Shadeweaver soared through the sky at a semi-casual speed, she then spied a military base in the distance.

**::Hey guys, I can see Portland IAP now; it's roughly 40 miles north-east of where you are. I'm gonna go ahead and start patrolling the area.::**

**::Alright, Shade. Take care up there.::**

Shadeweaver then sped up and started policing around the outskirts of the airport and base. As Shadeweaver reached the area, she did not spot anything immediately obvious; from what she could tell, the airport looked pretty peaceful. Even as she listened in on any of the radio frequencies, she could not pick up any of the tell-tale frequencies normally associated with the Decepticons. One thing that did grab her attention once more was that pull in her chest that just appeared but even stronger than before. Just what did it mean? Whenever she was around Joe and Cathy it made her chest feel like this but they were nowhere near; perhaps it wasn't what she thought it was. This was definitely something to ask Ratchet about later on.

Pushing the small issue aside, Shadeweaver glance down at the military base, eyeing two F-15s sitting with their fuel lines in. Shadeweaver couldn't help but sense a wave of familiarity but quickly cast the thought aside.

"My God, will ya get a freakin' grip, Girl," Shadeweaver vented to herself, "I must have a logic circuit loose or something," she concluded before turning away from the base to continue her patrol.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, down at Portland Air National Guard Base.

"So is that everything?" asked Joe asked the mechanics as he came out of the hangar, ready for his first flight in his new position in the US Air Force.

"Pretty much," the mechanic reply, "The craft'll be ready to fly in under fifteen minutes."

"Awesome, thanks man" Joe replied with a thumbs up.

"So, ready to start this thing?" Cathy asked, coming up to her brother's side; she glanced up at a jet, doing its rounds high up in the sky, "Is that one of theirs?" she asked; she couldn't help but feel a strange pull in her chest.

"Dunno, it's too far up to see," Joe admitted, "Apparently there's a support group around here; I'm assuming it's one of them. That's all I was told though," he added. Cathy merely hummed in thought; could it be who she thought it was?

"Alright guys, that's your aircraft sorted," chimed a mechanic.

"Oh. Thanks guys, well, ready for our first flight in this place?" Cathy asked her brother with a grin.

"You bet I am," Joe grinned back before the two siblings eagerly mounted their respective jets. Strapping themselves in and performing their final checks, Joe them gave the thumbs up the mechanics before they cleared the runway.

**::Wanna do the honours, sister of mine?::**

**::Why thank you Joe, you're too kind. Flight Lieutenant and Squadron Leader McDowell to Mission Control. Permission to take off? Over.::**

**::Mission Control to Flight Lieutenant and Squadron Leader McDowell. Permission granted. Over.::**

**::Permission received. Commencing take off. Over and out.::**

Then with that, the two sibling thundered down the runway before ripping though the sky. Joe whooped as he barrel-rolled through a cloud.

 **::Wow! Man; I can _never_ get over that rush!::** Joe laughed through the comm.

**::Ha-ha, you're such a big kid, Joe. It's a wonder the base ever put up with ya.::**

**::Aw, C'mon Sis, you know you love it.::**

**::To a fashion. Hey Joe, can I just ask, have you been feeling I don't know weird lately?::**

**::What? Weirder than I normally am?::**

**::Ha-ha. Strangely enough, yes. I don't know about you but I've been feeling that strange tugging sensation lately.::**

**::Like the one we normally get around Shade? Now that you mention it, _yeah._ There _is_ something like that. It's not disorientating or anything but it's there. Hey, wait; that jet that passed by not too long ago. Do you think?::**

**::I wouldn't jump the gun but it's definitely possible. Hey look; there it is!::**

As Cathy said that, the same jet from before emerged from some cloud cover in the distance, cruising over the other side of the international airport.

**::Should we hail it?::**

**::No, no: not yet, Joe. I think we should at least wait until we know for certain.::**

Then as they neared closer but at a safe distance from the jet, distinctive green edging could be spotted upon its navy blue frame. Cathy gasped as she spotted the RAF insignia under its wing as it turned.

**::Holy crap! It _is_ her! That's our _sister!_ ::**

**o0o0o**

As Shadeweaver flew overhead, keeping a watchful eye the area, she heard a chime in her comm. system.

**::Anything out of the ordinary, Shade?::**

**::Nah, Sides. Pretty quiet to be honest, anything on your end?::**

**::Nope. Not even a hint of interference and here we were gonna try our new Jet Judo skills on them.::**

**::Ha-ha. I'm sure you'll get your chance, Sides. Wait, hold on; I have two blips on my radar.::**

**::Are they Decepticons?::**

**::I don't think so; seems like ordinary aircraft to me. I'll run a check.::**

As Shadeweaver flipped in the air, she then spotted two F-15s in the distance. Wary, Shadeweaver flanked left to get a good look at the two jets but found that it was the same two that were parked at the base earlier. What got her was the fact that her chest flared with that same tugging feeling from before her comm. system then chimed with a very familiar male voice.

**::Hey Shade; fancy meeting you here.::**

"No way, you have _got_ to be kidding me," Shadeweaver gawked, "Joe? _Cathy!?_ " she exclaimed in sheer surprise.

 **::Hee hee, Yeah, it's us; surprised?::** chimed Cathy.

"You bet I am!" Shadeweaver said with a laugh of delight at seeing them again, "What're _you_ two doing a _way_ out here?" she asked.

**::Don't ask why but they ordered us to serve in Portland IAP, would ya believe; Cathy and I just arrived yesterday.::**

"Wow. This is awesome. You have no idea how much I missed you guys," Shadeweaver said with the happiness of being reunited with her siblings again.

 **::Hey Shade. Did you run an analysis?::** asked Bumblebee.

**::Oh! Yeah, Bee. It's alright. False alarm. I know those two very well.::**

**::Yeah we missed you a bunch too, Shade; the base just wasn't the same without ya. So how did your search go? Did you find what you were looking for,::**

Joe asked.

"Well, let's just say I found way more than I bargained for, that's for sure" Shadeweaver hinted.

 **::What? So you finally found them!?::** Cathy exclaimed, in surprise.

"Yeah, they're called Cybertronians," Shadeweaver replied, "They're basically a whole race of mechanical beings that transform like me," Shadeweaver replied.

 **::Wow! That's so awesome, Shade! I'm so happy for you!::** Cathy said, truly happy that her sister finally found her own race, **::By the way what's with the new symbols?::**

"Oh. Those are the Autobot insignia," Shadeweaver replied.

 **::Autobots?::** Cathy quizzed.

"It'd take way too long to explain right now," Shadeweaver said, knowing that she and her two comrades had duties to perform, "Tell you what, why don't you come back our base when you come off duty; then maybe we can explain everything?" she suggested.

 **::Aye, sure. That'd be awesome,::** Joe replied.

"Ok. I'll see you later then, alright?" Shadeweaver said.

**::Aye, Shade. It's awesome catching up with ya again.::**

"Oh! And by the way, if you see any vehicles or aircraft with this insignia, do not interact with them if at all possible," Shadeweaver spoke up, producing a holographic representation of the Decepticon logo, "Those are Decepticons. They are dangerous and they will not hesitate to harm or kill you," she warned.

**::Alright. Thanks for the warning, Shade. We'll keep an eye and ear out for them.::**

"Good. Take care, you two; I'll pick you up in about four hours, alright?" Shadeweaver said before allowing the two pilots to fly off as she carried on with the rest of her patrol. Little did they know, however, they're interaction did not go undetected.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile: back on the nemesis; Megatron sat on his throne watching the monitor like a hawk. He had ordered Soundwave to send Lasorbeak out to monitor proceedings after sending his Seeker Trines to locate energon sources and was somewhat surprised that things were going smoothly for once. Megatron smirked to himself as he watched the Seeker Femme finally allow the two pilots to depart from the area.

"What are your orders, my Lord?" Soundwave asked.

"For now, I merely want you to monitor them, Soundwave. Subtlety is this key to this," Megatron replied, "I want you to observe them closely and let them become comfortable with their surroundings. Only then will I strike when they would least expect it," he added with a malicious grin.

"As you wish, my Lord," Soundwave replied simply. He had been by Megatron's side for long enough to work out what his plans entailed. Soundwave then wordlessly turned back to his console showing the oblivious Femme. He knew it would only be a matter of time before his deception will come to light.


	7. Apprehension

**_The Seeker Code of Honour_ **

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Apprehension**

As the sky reddened and the shadows lengthened, their daily patrol came to a close. Shadeweaver cruised through the sky, slicing through a pink puff of cloud as Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker followed her back to base. Although the day was relatively devoid of Decepticon activity it was by no means uneventful. Along with the three Cybertronians travelling along the dirt road below, two very familiar individuals now sat astride in the Femme's cockpit.

"So you're saying we have a kind of bond?" asked the Human female known as Cathy.

"Yeah, it's called a Trine Bond; it's kind of like a strong brother/sister bond," Shadeweaver replied, "It's specific to Seekers," she added.

"Seekers?" Cathy asked

"Yeah, we're like a sub race on Cybertron," Shadeweaver replied, "I don't know much about them myself but from what I can gather we are fliers by instinct and our programming differs slightly to other Cybertronians. I'll tell you more about it all when we get back," she added.

"Hm. So what's this Optimus guy like then?" Joe asked casually as he lounged in her cockpit.

"Well, he seems pretty intimidating at first, mostly because he's quite a bit taller than I am, but he's really kind," Shadeweaver replied, "You'll see what I mean when you meet him," she added.

"So how long have those guys been here?" Cathy asked.

"Well, they said that their ship crashed on Earth four million years ago; they came out of stasis about two weeks ago though," Shadeweaver explained, "Apparently the pod I was in appeared just over 9 million years ago," she added.

"Holy crap! You guys are like ancient!" Joe blurted out, jaw agape.

"Well, to be fair, stasis does slow down aging but yeah, apparently we have super long lifespans," Shadeweaver replied.

"No kidding," Joe said simply; he then looked out of the cockpit to spot what looked like a large metallic structure embedded in the side of a mountain in the distance, "Is that it then?" he asked.

"Yep, hang on while I set you down," Shadeweaver said before taking a gentle gradient towards the ground, landing softly on the sand a few yards from the Ark. As soon as it was safe to do so, Shadeweaver then opened her cockpit to allow her human passengers to disembark before transforming into her bipedal mode.

"You don't know how much we missed that," Joe said with an almost wistful smile as she finished her transformation.

"I bet you did," Shadeweaver chuckled with a warm smile as she crouched down to allow them to climb onto her servo. Though he acted in his typical, laid-back, goofy self, Shadeweaver could sense the longing behind Joe's exterior; Cathy also exerted a similar sentiment.

Now with her comrades astride her shoulders, Shadeweaver walked over to the entrance just as Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Bumblebee rolled in, transforming as they did so. Bumblebee was the first to notice the two humans on the Seeker's shoulders.

"Oh. I see you brought a couple of friends," Bumblebee said.

"Yep, these are my flight partners from back home," Shadeweaver replied, "Apparently they were sent to work at Portland for a short spell," she added.

"Well, hi there; my name is Bumblebee, and this is Sideswipe and Sunstreaker," Bumblebee greeted with a smile; Sideswipe gave a _'Yo'_ with a wide grin, while Sunstreaker merely gave a small snort in acknowledgement.

"Hey, thanks man; this cute thing here's my lil' sis, Cathy," Joe replied with a goofy grin; Cathy rolled her eyes in response.

"And this embarrassment to the Human race is my idiot brother, Joe," Cathy retorted with a smirk.

"Touché, lil' sis," Joe feigned hurt, "I am the oldest you know," he hinted with a grin.

"Aye by like two minutes," Cathy snorted.

"Oh. So your twins?" Sideswipe asked, "Nice! Sunny and I are too," he added, earning a glare from yellow Lamborghini at the sound of that accursed nickname.

"Yup, non-identical and despite what she says, I am the oldest and her superior officer," Joe added with a smirk.

"Phe! Just 'cause you're older doesn't you're mean wiser," Cathy huffed, "You and I both know I'm the brains," she added with an equally triumphant grin.

"Heh-heh. Sorry guys but I win by all three accounts and you know it," Shadeweaver joined in, chuckling; both of them knew they couldn't argue with that one.

"You always have to have the last word, doncha Shade?" Cathy sighed in amusement.

"Ayep," Shadeweaver added with an amused grin just to rub it in further.

"So, I take it those two Humans are your Trine then?" Sunstreaker asked, raising an optical ridge as the idea of bonding with organics was still very new to him.

"Yes," Shadeweaver replied, "I'm still not exactly sure how it happened myself but we are bonded," she admitted.

"Hm. Well, I suggest we report to Prime while it's still day light," Sunstreaker suggested.

"Agreed," Shadeweaver replied simply as she and her fellow Autobots entered the Ark. As they sat astride her frame, Joe and Cathy couldn't help but gawk at the golden, metallic walls as they stretched at least a good few feet over Shadeweaver's head.

"Wow. That's some spacecraft," Joe commented with a long whistle, "It's _massive,_ " he added.

"Well, we _are_ pretty big creatures," Shadeweaver said, "You should see Omega Supreme; now _he's_ immense," she added as she walked into the main bridge where Optimus and Ratchet were with Prowl in front of Teletraan-1. Optimus was the first to notice the group come into the base.

"Ah. Welcome back. I hoped that you would arrive back arrive soon," Optimus greeted them, "I trust there were no Decepticon activity to report?" he asked.

"Nah, nothing. Not even the slightest interference," Sunstreaker replied, "Real quiet; too quiet if you ask me," he added.

"Yeah, I didn't spot anything from the air either," Shadeweaver asked, Optimus only hummed in acknowledgement.

"Very well; Prowl, compile our findings on the matter so far I will- Oh. I see we have some guests," Optimus said as he suddenly caught sight of the two humans on her shoulders; Joe and Cathy both caught their breath as his bright blue optics of the giant metallic being fixed on them. Joe and Cathy couldn't help but notice the air of authority in his voice.

"Oh. Yes; these are my flight partners from back home," Shadeweaver replied; Ratchet looked up with interest, "They came all the way from Lossiemouth just yesterday, in fact," she added.

"Ah. Well, welcome to the Ark, little ones. I am Optimus Prime and I am the leader of the Autobots," Optimus greeted with a kindly smile in his optics.

"Ah. So _this_ is your Trine," Ratchet spoke up.

"Yes; this is Squadron Leader Joe and Flight Lieutenant Cathy; I am their Wing Commander," Shadeweaver replied.

"Well, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, I am Ratchet and I am the Chief Medical Officer here," Ratchet said with a smile.

"Oh. Um pleased to meet you Sir," Cathy said out of curtesy.

"Anyway. So, I suppose there was nothing else on that security breach?" Shadeweaver asked, bringing them back on topic.

"Not as of yet, I'm afraid," Optimus hummed.

"Yes, whoever hacked into the military network covered their tracks extremely well; too well in fact," Prowl said, thoughtfully, "It could only be Soundwave," he added.

"Wow, wow. Wait a minute; someone hacked into the military?" Joe spoke up, turning the Autobots' attention to him.

"Yes; it was reported that over seven billion files were accessed as recently as two days previously," Optimus replied.

"That's why I was in the area earlier," Shadeweaver joined in, "You see I was looking out for any Decepticon activity with the others as we suspect they are involved," she added.

"Oh, I see. Hey, wait a minute. You said a couple of days ago right?" Cathy asked, realising something, "Wasn't that when we were ordered to serve at Portland?" she asked Joe.

"Yeah, it was," Joe remembered, "Look, it could be nothing but two days ago Cathy and I received this weird message from the RAF headquarters to relocate at Portland IAP. Usually we have some sort of notice but this was totally outta the blue; we were just coming if from our daily flight when bam; we're leaving to Portland the next morning. We thought there was just something not right about the whole thing," he explained.

"Wait; do you know who actually gave that order?" Shadeweaver asked, having an uncomfortable feeling.

"No; there were no names at all but it was definitely an official order between the US and Royal Air Forces," Joe replied, "But we know it was sent from Portland; that's for certain," he added.

"Do you have a copy of that letter?" Shadeweaver asked.

"Afraid not; it was just a message passed on by Marcus but they all said it was definitely official," Joe hummed.

"Hm. Prowl, can you perform an analysis to determine whether any documents concerning those two in particular were sent electronically during which the security breach occurred?" Optimus asked, "If possible, can you also trace the sender?" he added.

"Will do, Prime," Prowl replied as he sifted through the various files on Teletraan-1 but quickly found this was not going to be an easy task, "There were literally hundreds of thousands of documents sent and received during that time, Optimus. This will take a long time. With the current speed of Earth communication systems, it may well take more than a full cycle to download and analyse each one," he vented.

"Very well, just do what you can, Prowl," Optimus replied.

"Hey, Optimus," Cathy spoke up, "Joe and I were just thinking that perhaps it may be a good idea if we could speak to the people in base. We could perhaps ask whoever's in charge at Portland about the security breach," she offered.

"That is actually not a bad idea," Optimus hummed, seeing her line of thought, "If you could get some inside information about exactly what files were accessed then this may help narrow things down," he added.

"Hmm. I also think that it may be a good idea if I patrolled with them while they're on duty until their service here expires," Shadeweaver said in deep thought, "Following recent events, I think I have a good idea what they were looking for and I'd hate if anything happened," she hinted; Optimus could only agree with her thoughts on the matter.

"Very well. I will allow you to patrol with them whenever they are on duty as I do understand that your Trine is a priority," Optimus agreed, "As for you two, when you are next on duty, I will inform you of what exactly you should ask and how you should collect certain traces of data within the premises. We are already known to the residents around here so should you need to mention us for whatever reason, then by all means do so," he added; Shadeweaver and her two comrades merely nodded in understanding before she took them on a guided tour throughout the base, introducing them to various Autobots as she went.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, in the harsh climate of the infamous continent of Antarctica, a group of unfortunate Seekers had the daunting task of locating and mining for energon in what appeared to be nought but a barren wasteland.

"Fragging pit!" Skywarp growled in frustration as the blizzard bellowed into his intakes, "How much longer do we have to spend in this slaggin' scrapheap!?" he complained.

"Frag knows," Thundercracker vented, "Hey Screamer, any chance we can get out of here _this_ vorn?" he stressed, becoming irritated.

"Unless we locate the _energon_ detected by Soundwave, _we_ are going _nowhere_ ," Starscream stated irritably, "Now help me set up the magnetic probe," he ordered. Thundercracker merely grumbled in annoyance before obliging. Judging from what he had seen from his renowned stubbornness throughout the vorns, there was no swaying Starscream once a decision had been made. As Thundercracker and Skywarp begrudgingly helped Starscream set up the device, there was one question burning a hole in his logic circuits.

"Hey Screamer," Thundercracker said, gaining his attention with a small grunt, "Doesn't it strike you as odd that he sent _all_ of us here?" he asked, spying a couple of Seeker comrades scouting ahead. Starscream had to admit that the thought had also occurred in his processors.

"It had crossed my mind," Starscream admitted, "Megatron usually keeps at least one Trine on base; perhaps we are lower on energon than I first thought," he added but even he doubted this.

"Hmm. Well, if it's energon he wants, I suggest we make a start before the solar winds wreak havoc on our sensors," Thundercracker suggested with a small vent.

"Agreed," Starscream said simply. As Starscream and Thundercracker disgruntledly continued pitching the device against the high winds, Skywarp cursed Primus to the fiery depths of pit as he stomped through the blizzard blasting into his optics with the probe in hand. As he continued to stomp his way through a variety of obscene curses until few yards away, the device Skywarp carried bleeped as it eventually reached the correct distance.

"I better get a slag load of energon for this," Skywarp grumbled but as speared the probe into the ground, he suddenly felt a shift weight and before he knew it, he let a loud _'WHOA!'_ as the whole ground collapsed underneath him. It was then that Thundercracker looked up as his Trine brother's shriek reached his audio receptors.

"What the slag is that Afthead up to now?" Thundercracker asked out loud.

"Who the pit knows?" Starscream vented, also irritated by the inconvenient weather conditions, "Have the Gamma sensors been calibrated yet?" he asked turning back to the task at hand.

"They are currently 65% done," Thundercracker replied.

Then as Starscream was about to reply, the sudden roar of thrusters caught his audio receptors; he looked up to see Skywarp landing haphazardly, spraying snow in their faceplates.

"What the frag, Warp!?" Starscream spluttered as the snow got into his vents.

"Oh! My Primus, Oh! My Primus, guys! You _have_ to come with me now!" Skywarp blurted out, "You will not _believe_ what I found!" he added rather excitedly.

"A CPU I hope," Thundercracker muttered, earning a scowl from Skywarp.

"Hardly likely," Starscream drawled.

" _Guys!_ Look I'm being _serious_ here!" Skywarp whined, "You _have_ to see this! There's like slag tonnes of it _everywhere!_ You seriously would not believe it!" he continued, almost bursting at the seams. Starscream and Thundercracker just raised their optical ridges.

"Alright, alright; calm the slag down," Thundercracker said, "Should we go?" he asked.

"Do we have a choice?" Starscream vented, "Alright, we'll come but this had better be something of worth," he warned. It was then that Skywarp, Thundercracker and Starscream Transformed and took to the air. As they landed at the edge of the large cavern that collapsed earlier, Skywarp lead them down inside and what they saw made their faceplates drop. Columns and columns of luminescent green crystal adorned the cavern walls wherever you looked. As Starscream touched a crystal, it sent a sudden yet gentle static through his frame.

"Energon," Starscream said quietly in amazement, "Crystals of pure, unadulterated _energon,_ " he added.

"Skywarp," Thundercracker started almost lost for words as he turned to his Trine brother, "How in the _pit_ do you do it?"

**o0o0o**

Two joors later with production now well and truly underway, Starscream stood overseeing the stack of energon cubes growing with each passing astrosecond.

"Finding that energon pocket was some lucky break huh?" Thundercracker commented.

"Yes, it certainly was," Starscream said simply.

"You know, to this cycle, I still dunno how that slagger does it," Thundercracker vented, "It's like he has an endless supply of blind luck," he added but then the mech in question came over and slapped his servos on their shoulders.

"Hey guys, guess who's getting overcharged tonight," Skywarp grinned, Thundercracker rolled his optics.

"Skywarp, this energon is not to be wasted by your mindless habits!" Starscream snapped, "This energon to last us for at least two quartex' as well as for shipping back to Cybertron!" he yelled.

"Wow, it was just a joke, learn to chill," Skywarp mumbled.

"Anyway," Starscream said after a vent to himself, "Let us get back now before the Solar Winds reach the Earth. Thundercracker; set up a frequency fragmenter: Skywarp; help the others transport energon back to base. I will stay behind and make sure that the site is secure," he ordered; Thundercracker and Skywarp gladly obliged as they were finally leaving the frozen abyss.

As they walked away from their Trine Leader, Skywarp couldn't help but notice the slightly subdued feeling in his demeanour for an astrosecond.

"Hey, TC," Skywarp spoke up, gaining his attention, "Is it just me or has something been eating at Screamer lately?" he asked.

"Well, asides from being his usual egoistical, afthole self, he has been a little off," Thundercracker replied thoughtfully, "This morning he was literally just staring at his energon for a whole breem. He never does that unless there's something really bothering him," he added.

"Well, last night he forced me outta recharge during a particularly bad memory cycle," Skywarp said.

"Yeah?" Thundercracker quizzed, raising an optical ridge, "Well, it must be something pretty slaggin' serious then. I've never known Screamer to even have a memory cycle let alone one bad enough to disturb his recharge," he commented.

"Yeah and he's too fraggin' stubborn to say anything," Skywarp huffed.

"Hn. Well, that's just Screamer for ya," Thundercracker snorted, "Anyway, let's just keep this quiet for now. If he doesn't improve within a few cycles or even gets _worse_ , _then_ we'll say something but for now let's just leave him to his old stubborn self, alright?" he added. Skywarp merely nodded and took to the air to complete his own task while Thundercracker completed his. Then after they were sure that their energon mine was secure from prying optics, the Seekers eventually returned back to the Nemesis.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, back at the Ark, Shadeweaver had just finished her little excursion through the base with her two Human friends and eventually settled down in her own private quarters.

"So this is your room, huh?" Joe spoke up, "Pretty sweet," he commented as she placed them both on the desk.

"Yep; quite a bit less cramped than the hangar back home," Shadeweaver said as she sat down on her berth.

"Aye, I bet," Joe said, "Seeing as you don't have to bend down all the time," he added.

"Yeah, that was fun; lost count on how many time I hit my head off that damn frame," Shadeweaver chuckled a little.

"Aye and I lost count on how many time we had to repair it," Joe laughed along with Cathy and Shadeweaver, "Good times 'ey?"

"Yeah," Shadeweaver sighed a little with a quaint smile.

"So, Shade; what exactly is this bond thing you were on about earlier?" Cathy asked as the thought popped into her head.

"Well, it's difficult to explain in words but I'll try and explain how Ratchet explained it to me. You see, Cybertronians like me have things called Sparks; which are wee bit of like a heart in which it's our source of power but it's also like our personal identity," Shadeweaver started, "The thing about the spark is that it can form bonds with others which is I suppose like a sort of spiritual and emotional link," she added.

"So, it's through this we can feel each other's presences and emotions?" Cathy surmised.

"Yeah; that's all because of our bond. Here, it'll be easier if I just show you," Shadeweaver said before adjusting her position so they could see; it was then that her cockpit slid back to reveal a glowing ball of light in chest cavity.

"Oh! Is that your spark? It's beautiful," Cathy commented, being somewhat lulled by the spark's rhythmic pulsing.

"Yeah, they're fascinating things. I definitely wouldn't ask the others to show theirs though as it's really inappropriate but this is in essence a spark. It basically sends power from our spark chamber through our circuits like a heart and circulatory system. It's also our soul and do you see those two points of light on the surface? Those are our bonds," she pointed out, showing the little bright spots floating on the surface.

"Oh! So you're saying that's us two? Like we're actually physically joined to your spark?" Cathy asked in intrigue and a sense of awe.

"Yeah, those two points there are you two; it's a physical, emotional and even mental connection," Shadeweaver confirmed.

"Wow! That is _so_ cool!" Cathy commented, "I mean I always knew we had _something;_ all three of us but to actually be able to physically see that bond for ourselves. Wow! That's _amazing,_ " she added truly honoured to have left such an impression with a being such as Shadeweaver.

"Yeah, Shade; this is really, really awesome," Joe commented just as awed as Cathy; Shadeweaver closed her casing again with a knowing smile, "There's just one thing I don't understand though; how can you bond with us? I mean, we're not Cybertronians," he pointed out.

"Well, Ratchet did say that sparks weren't just unique to Cybertronians; he said that all or most beings have actually have some sort of spark but it's just we can harness it more efficiently. So I assume your 'sparks' would have a type of physical bond too," Shadeweaver replied.

"Right, so you said we were a Trine?" Cathy hinted, remembering the conversation from earlier.

"Yeah; we share a specific type of bond in which Seekers, like me, bond in groups of three called Trines," Shadeweaver replied, "It's means we all share this strong sibling bond; this is probably why we are very in sync when in battle formation. My programming must have prompted me to bond with you naturally," she added.

"Well, I, for one, am glad you did," Joe spoke up with a smile, "Seriously without you, our lives would be boring as hell," he added.

"Yeah," Shadeweaver said with a slight smile but there was a slight air of apprehension, "The thing is, however, from the data chip I received when I first arrived here, I learned that powerful bonds can actually be quite traumatic when lost. If a Trine bond is as powerful as I think it is, then I might have actually put you two in more danger than I first realised," she admitted.

"Then that's why you wanted to patrol at Portland with us," Cathy surmised.

"Yeah; I just feel like the whole thing with the security breach and you two arriving was just too much of a coincidence," Shadeweaver admitted, "I just think it'd be better if we stuck together for the time being," she added. Joe and Cathy merely nodded in understanding as they too felt similarly on the matter; in fact, they were actually sort of relieved that she suggested it though they did not say anything.

"Anyway," Shadeweaver eventually said, breaking the moment of silence, "I take it you two are on duty tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah; our patrol starts at six as usual we've got a weekend after that though," Joe replied.

"Nice; you know if you want you can stay the night and I can give you a life in tomorrow," Shadeweaver offered.

"Aye!" Joe agreed with enthusiasm

"Yeah! That'd be great; thanks Shade," Cathy thanked, jumped at the chance.

"Awesome; now what're you two gonna sleep on...," Shadeweaver pondered as a hard, metallic surface was not really suitable, "Oh! I know; here ya go," she said as she produced two beds from her subspace and set them on the desk.

"Aw. Shade, did you keep them for us?" Cathy said.

"Well, kinda forgot they were in there to tell the truth but hey, they came in handy," Shadeweaver admitted with shrug.

"Well, thanks a lot anyway, really," Cathy thanked her, "Well, guess we better off get to bed if we're to get up at the crack of dawn," she said noting the last slither of gold along the horizon.

"Yeah, I'm like totally shattered," Joe said, yawning as lack of sleep started to take its toll, "Hope you don't mind us nodding off," he added.

"No-no, go ahead; I need to recharge soon anyway," Shadeweaver replied nonchalantly, looking up from a datapad, "I'll see you two in the morning alright?" she added.

"Alright. Night, Shade," Joe said as he and Cathy both got into their folding beds and soon drifted off to a deep sleep after an eventful day.

As Shadeweaver glanced up at her sibling's sleep forms, she couldn't help but think how nice it was to feel their presences nearby once again and a small smile crept on her faceplates. At the same time however, she couldn't help but notice the feeling of apprehension floating in her spark. Were the Decepticons really behind the reason why her Trine were relocated to Portland and if so, for what reason?

As she Shadeweaver glanced back down at the datapad, the Code of Honour stood in bold letters on screen.

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

Though simple words in the eyes of your typical organic or Cybertronian, to a Seeker it made sense at a much deeper level. The first line, to never offline Trine members stood out above all others and their fragility concerned her. Shadeweaver knew deep down she would have to protect them at all costs.


	8. Reflection

 

_**The Seeker Code of Honour** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

**Chapter 8 – Reflection**

Early next morning, Megatron eyed the monitor in careful thought. As he watched the live footage provided by none-other than Lasorbeak, the Seeker Femme travelled with her Human partners high above the ground. Having had Seekers in his armada for at least a few million solar cycles, Megatron could spot the symptoms of a trine bond as well as any other Seeker could; the femme and her fellow pilots clearly harboured the unmistakable synchronicity of a trine in formation.

"Hmm. It seems that our plan is going rather well," Megatron hummed with a small, knowing smile, "Now it is just a matter of waiting until the right moment arises. Whatever the case, in the end that Seeker _will_ be part of _our_ Armada where she belongs," he added with a widening smirk. As he watched as the military base came into view, Megatron then heard the sound of hollow pedes and a familiar raspy voice from out in the corridor. With the 'Kill' gesture from Megatron, Soundwave immediately closed the footage before Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp walked into the main bridge.

"Ah. Starscream; to what do I owe you the pleasure?" Megatron asked, "I thought I had assigned you three to energon duty this week?" he hinted.

"Told ya this wasn't a good idea" Skywarp mumbled quietly in Starscream's audio receptor.

"Hush Warp – Well, yes, Lord Megatron, technically we are but I have found something rather interesting that we wish to exploit," Starscream replied.

"Go on," Megatron urged.

"I am sure you may have heard of a certain national park north of here in the state of Wyoming," Starscream started.

"Ah. Yes, Yellowstone, I believe the Earthlings call it," Megatron nodded.

"Well, I am sure you must also know that it is home to an active volcano, teetering on the edge of eruption," Starscream continued, "We all agreed that it would be more efficient if we extracted energon from more than one location at one time and the volatile nature of this volcano caught our interest. I calculate that, when extracted in a controlled manner, the raw heat and potential energy could yield quadruple the volume of energon than your average mine. With _your_ permission of course, we could start proceedings straight away," he explained.

"Hmm. For once, this is not a bad idea, Starscream," Megatron hummed in thought, "What of the energon mine in Antarctica?" he asked.

"I have placed Dirge, Ramjet and Thrust in charge," Starscream replied, "They are more than capable of overseeing proceedings," he added.

"Very well, do what you must, Starscream," Megatron agreed and the Trine left the main bridge.

"Hah! Nice one, Screamer," Skywarp grinned, slapping a servo on his shoulder, "No Antarctica for us!"

"Yeah, gotta admit, that was pretty smooth," Thundercracker smirked approvingly as he really did not want to go back to that frozen slagheap they were in the other day.

"Well, scientific know how, cunning and eloquent use of language are all the makings of a great leader, you see," Starscream told them, "And when Megatron finally comes to realise that, it will already be too late," he ended with a smirk. Thundercracker and Skywarp just exchanged looks.

_'Well, his ego's the size of the slaggin' planet, guess he's back to normal,'_ Thundercracker spoke to Skywarp through the bond; Skywarp just snorted with laugher in response, receiving a pointed glare from Starscream.

_'Yeah and so's his temper.'_

**o0o0o**

It was a dull, overcast day with thick cloud cover blocking the midday sun. As the birds chirped in the air, the sudden roar of thrusters drowned out the peaceful ambience as three F-15 jets thundered down the runway and soared over the desert. The trio consisted of the leading jet, navy blue in colour with green edging, with the green, khaki-coloured one flanking left and the fiery orange/red one flanking right. To the untrained eye, the three were just your average military jets going about their business but those in the know were well aware of the spark that pulsed within the lead jet's frame.

Following the plans that they concocted the previous night, Shadeweaver transported Joe and Cathy back to base the following morning. As per Optimus' orders, Cathy took the responsibility of asking the authorities around the base concerning the alleged security breach and the order, and Joe set about gathering the required data from the network for analysis. Now with the information in tow, the three jets left the military base back to the Ark.

"Ah. Shadeweaver, you have returned early," Optimus commented as the Seeker in question walked into the main bridge with Joe and Cathy astride her shoulders.

"Yes, I have the data that you wanted," Shadeweaver replied, "I thought it'd be better if I gave it to you in person rather than remotely," she added as she handed him the chip.

"I see," Optimus nodded in understanding before scanning the device in his servos, "This is a good collection of data, Joseph. You were also quite right to hand it to me personally, Shadeweaver. Had you sent a databurst, even an encrypted version of the data could have been intercepted. What was the verdict from inquiring the staff, Catherine?" he asked.

"Well, I asked around base like you said but no one seemed to know anything about the letter," Cathy replied, "Even the Air Marshall was stumped and they're suspecting it wasn't authorised after all. I think we were right to be suspicious."

"Hmm. Troubling," Optimus hummed, "Prowl, load this data into Teletraan-1; see of you can find any evidence to back up our suspicions," he ordered as he handed it over.

"Yes, Sir. This should only take a few astroseconds at the very most," Prowl replied as he inserted the chip into a small slot before hundreds of thousands of files began streaming into the screen, "Download complete; I am analysing as we speak," he added.

"Anyhow, aside from the data retrieval, I trust there was no further suspicious activity to report?" Optimus asked.

"No, nothing. Jazz and Hound didn't have anything to report either," Shadeweaver replied, "It _is_ only twelve PM, however," she added. Then just as Optimus was about to respond, Teletraan-1 chimed.

"Analysis complete," Prowl spoke up, "We have narrowed down to a cluster of files that were accessed for over 200 astroseconds and I am afraid it does not look good, Optimus," he added as Teletraan-1 brought up the said group of files; at least three of them contained detailed profiles of Joe, Cathy and Shadeweaver's service in the Royal Air Force. "It seems that their military records were indeed accessed. I have also located the alleged document and although it is very faint, there is a trace and it most certainly belongs to Soundwave," Prowl said.

"Then they _were_ involved" Shadeweaver said in realisation, "What do we do now?" she asked, fears from before confirmed.

"This is certainly unsettling news," Optimus hummed, "Although we should certainly be cautious, we should also not dwell _too_ much on the matter. We will aim to devise the best course of action to take in due course but in the meantime I want you all to return to your daily duties as per usual," he ordered with Shadeweaver merely nodding in understanding but before heading back towards the entrance, Teletraan-1 chimed.

"Optimus, I am getting some strange reports," Prowl spoke up from his post, gaining his attention, "They appear very recent but there have been reports of odd tremors in the State of Wyoming, East of here," he added.

"Wyoming? Isn't that where Yellowstone is?" Spike said, who had just entered the main bridge with Carly and Bumblebee.

"Yeah, that's the one that sits on an active volcano," Carly chimed in, "They say it's a super volcano that can go at any time; if that erupts then so will most of western USA," she pointed out.

"Well, the epicentre _does_ seem to be coming from that general area," Prowl said, "There is something strange about the tremors, however. The seismograph provided by the residents shows a repeating pattern; I believe this is too much of a coincidence," he added as he brought up a graph showing said pattern.

"Hmm, I agree that this certainly looks suspicious, Prowl," Optimus hummed in agreement.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that looks like a pulse extractor," Ratchet commented, "That would be a well known mining procedure used in unstable sites such as this," he explained.

"Yeah and three guesses who," Sunstreaker muttered with a small vent.

"So, what's the plan now then?" Shadeweaver asked.

"I believe that this certainly needs further investigation, especially with the fragility of the site," Optimus replied, "Though it is a controlled extraction, it is still a very dangerous procedure and the added risk of an unpredictable eruption is far too great. Autobots: put your duties on hold and prepare for departure. This includes you and your comrades, Shadeweaver; we may need your aerial support," he ordered and Shadeweaver merely nodded in response.

"Right. Go and get your craft ready and I'll meet you in the air. Alright?" Shadeweaver said to Joe and Cathy as she placed them on the ground.

"Aye, Shade. See ya in a bit," Joe replied before he and Cathy ran off outside to their respective aircraft.

After no more than fifteen minutes, each of the Autobots had gathered outside with Optimus, including Joe and Cathy who had engaged their engines ready to take off. Then with the word from Optimus, each of the Autobots transformed and drove off with Shadeweaver, Joe, Cathy and Skyfire taking to the air.

**o0o0o**

It had been at least four joors since they arrived at Yellowstone and so far their plan was going rather well. Starscream had managed to set up the pulse extractor and the device, so far, was running fluently with energon cubes slowly but surely stacking up. At this rate they should meet their quota by early afternoon. In fact, they could not believe how smoothly things were going for once.

"This is great; wonder how the others are liking _Antartica_ , heh-heh," Skywarp grinned as he added another cube to the stack under the blue sky and beating sun, Starscream only smirked in response, "Wonder what this stuff's like," he added, eyeing the stack with genuine curiosity.

"Don't even think about it, Warp," Starscream said with a scowl, "With your habits one simple taste will turn into half our supply and a drunken afthead," he added knowingly.

" _I was just saying,_ " Skywarp said rolling his optics at his sarcasm.

"You know, I'm just amazed Megatron actually bought it," Thundercracker commented, "He never lets us have our own way so easily," he added; Starscream had to admit he was right. Megatron surely would have known that they just wanted to get out of going to Antarctica; was his leader hiding something?

"Screamer?" quizzed the voice of Thundercracker, jolting him out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine, just continue your work," Starscream said, "I will check the Seismograph," he added before walking over to the device.

_'He's been spacing out a lot lately,'_ Skywarp commented to Thundercracker through the bond.

_'I noticed,'_ Thundercracker replied back.

**o0o0o**

As the trine continued to work, another uneventful joor had been and gone. Glancing at the steadily growing energon stack of about 100 or so cubes, they realised they were only a few cubes short of their quota. With the peaceful, steady pace of their work, the trine soon started to become perhaps a little _too_ complacent as unbeknownst to them, two pairs of azure optics sat watching their every move from afar.

**::We used Mirage's cloaking device like you said Optimus and it's just as we thought,::** Bumblebee said through the comm as they spied the trine at work from behind a rock, **::It looks like it's just the three of them using the volcano's energy to make energon::**

**::Well done, Bumblebee, Mirage. Return immediately so that we can devise a plan of action::** Optimus replied. Then with that, both Bumblebee and Mirage silently left the area back to where the others were stationed.

**o0o0o**

"Now this operation must be handled with extreme care," Optimus said, "The energon cubes collected by this method will be unstable compared to those collected by fossil fuels and energon crystals. We must also take care to not to accidentally trigger a premature eruption; as said by our human friend earlier, the force exerted by this volcano could well bring down half of Western America. Our main objective is to halt those responsible and to take down the device to prevent further disruption," he added.

"Heh, time to test out our new Jet Judo skills," Sideswipe said with a mischievous grin.

"The plan is to take them by surprise using Mirage's newly developed signal displacement device," Optimus continued, "The displacement can only be used for a short amount of time so it should provide cover until we are of close proximity. Shadeweaver; please bear in mind that this device has a range of 5 kilometres so remember to fly low until I tell you otherwise," he added, with Shadeweaver acknowledging him.

"With that said, Autobots: transform;" Optimus ordered and everyone transformed into their alt-modes, "And roll out."

**o0o0o**

Oblivious to the plans that were unfolding, the infamous Seeker Trine continued gathering energon from the sleeping terror that lay dormant beneath their pedes.

"Well, that's our quota filled," Thundercracker spoke up as he slotted a cube into the large pile, "And with more than four joors to spare," he added, not believing how event free this mission had been.

"Yeah, things are never this-," Skywarp commented but just as he spoke, blips suddenly appeared on his radar.

"Slaggit! I knew this would happen!" Starscream cursed, "The Autobots are enclosing fast; subspace whatever energon you can, now!" he ordered. Then as they managed to subspace only a few cubes each, it was too late.

"Stop where you are, Starscream," Optimus called out as he along with a few of the Autobots emerged from a small wood large enough for the Autobots' bipedal form, "We have you all surrounded; co-operation is highly advisable," he added with a warning tone. It was as if Primus was laughing in their faceplates yet again.

"Oh. Is it _really?_ " Starscream taunted with sneer.

_'Is that that Screamer dude you were on about?'_ Joe asked through their own Trine bond, watching the exchange from above.

_'Yup, that's him alright,'_ Shadeweaver replied back in a tired tone.

_'Wow! You sure weren't kidding about that attitude, Jeeze!'_ Cathy commented.

"Don't waste your time with 'em, Prime," Ironhide growled.

"Yeah, let's just get rid of those Deceptiscum!" Sunstreaker agreed, poising his weapon.

"Just you try it, Autobot!" Starscream challenged, transforming into the air along with Thundercracker and Skywarp. They then, whilst dodging firepower from Sunstreaker and some of the other Autobots, showered them in missiles as they flew over them.

"Oh. Yeah? Let's see if you can take this!" Sideswipe called after him before kicking in his jet pack let, shortly joined by Sunstreaker. The two Lamborghinis then grabbed onto Starscream and Thundercracker's wings; " _ **Jet Judo!**_ " they yelled as the two Decepticons yelped in surprise with the forceful grip on their sensitive wings before hurtling from the air, colliding with Skywarp in the process.

" _ **Fraggers!**_ " Starscream screeched in ire at the audacity that the scarlet and yellow Autobots had to attack them.

_'So that's their Jet Judo, not bad,'_ Joe commented approvingly.

_'Yeah, at least it took that annoying smirk of his face,'_ Cathy commented, _'Can we attack yet, Shade?'_

_'No; not yet, Cath,'_ Shadeweaver replied, _'We have to wait for Optimus' orders besides we could just end up injuring Sunstreaker and Sideswipe,'_ she told them.

**::That is your cue, Ratchet::** Optimus commed him, **::You and Wheeljack disable that device while they are distracted, we will hold them off::**

**::Right, Prime. We'll get it done in no time,::** Ratchet commed back before he and Wheeljack headed over to the large tower looming over the national park.

"I don't get it, how in the pit did they manage to sneak up on us?" Thundercracker asked as they steadied themselves in the air, "I mean we can sense them from at least 300 miles away!" he exclaimed.

"Hn! I bet that no good fragger, Mirage had something to do with this," Starscream growled knowingly, seething at being disrupted by those Autoscrap yet again, "He is known for his ability to cloak himself as well as others. Well, let's teach those Slaggers a lesson!" he snarled as the three Decepticons blasted off after the duo.

**::Now Shadeweaver::** Optimus' voice chimmed into her comm system.

"Ok, let's go you guys!" Shadeweaver called.

**::Right!::** Joe and Cathy replied in unison.

As the Air Commander neared the Lamborghini Twins, he was suddenly caught by surprise as he was caught in a shower of missiles.

" _ **GAH!**_ Who _dare's_ attack from behind my-!?" Starscream shrieked as a bullet hit his shoulder, but then as he turned around, he spotted three jets lead by a very familiar alt-form, " _You!_ "

"Yeah, me; now _back off!_ " Shadeweaver retorted.

"Hn! You will pay for your insolence, Glitch!" Starscream screeched as they lunged after them, Shadeweaver and her Trine then soared through the sky in tight formation, flipping in the air until they were in their sights. Shadeweaver and her comrades them opened fire once again, Starscream's Trine then flitted through the barrage of missiles with relative ease. Shadeweaver then soared through the air once again with her comrades; their performance did not go unnoticed by the three Decepticons.

_'Who in the pit are those other jets?'_ Thundercracker asked through the bond, _'They're just a couple of fleshlings yet they fly like_ _ **Seekers**_ _,'_ he observed.

_'I am unsure, TC,'_ Starscream replied, _'But whatever the case, let us teach them a thing or two about_ _ **real**_ _Seekers!'_ he added before showing the opposing jets with their own firepower. As the two pilots swayed and dodged through the unforgiving bombardment, a null ray then hit Cathy's wing, causing the electrical wiring to short-circuit.

"Ah! Crap, I've been hit!" Cathy cried, muffled by the glass of her cockpit.

"Cathy! Eject!" Shadeweaver called, " **Eject** _ **, now!**_ " she cried but there was no response; she could not sense consciousness from within the hurtling jet.

"Hang on; _Joe, cover me!_ " Shadeweaver called before transforming herself and leaping onto the falling jet. The added weight, caused the jet to descend down faster and faster as Shadeweaver dug her digits into the jet and swiftly ripped the cockpit clean off; she then immediately grabbed her sister and leapt off the jet before it crashed into the hillside.

"Cath, _Cathy_ , are you alright!?" Shadeweaver said but there was no response; quickly checking over the tiny human in her hand she noted that she had minor head trauma but otherwise fine.

"Shadeweaver, are you alright!?" Optimus asked as he and Red Alert ran up to them after seeing them crash-land but then they noticed the Femme's darkened expression.

"Look after Cathy for me," Shadeweaver said with an audible growl as she put her in Red Alert's servos. Optimus and Red Alert then exchanged but stayed quiet as they knew _not_ to interfere in this situation.

"Joe, fall back and look after your Sister," Shadeweaver ordered him with clear authority in her voice.

**::But Shade, I::**

" _ **Just do it!**_ " Shadeweaver uncharacteristically yelled at him; Joe then flinched and reluctantly obliged knowing full well not to provoke her when she was like this.

**::Alright just make sure to smash his heid in for me,::** Joe said before landing near Optimus and Red Alert. ( **A/N:** Heid is a Scottish word for head)

Meanwhile, Starscream, triumphant over dealing with those annoying Human pilots had turned his attention to the rest of the Autobots on the ground below. The trine were now showering rays and missiles over the grounded beings from far above will easily dodging photon rays with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe grounded after their jet packs had ran out of energy. As Starscream soared through the skies, he noticed two bots tinkering with the large tower, stationed right above the sleeping volcano.

"Fraggit, they're after the Pulse Extractor!" Starscream shrieked, " **Attack them n-!** " he ordered before he was cut off by a powerful swing to his frame, sending him careering to the ground below. He immediately transformed but as he landed with a loud thud, whoever smashed into him gripped a servo around his throat and slammed him into a nearly rock. Looking up in shock at the sudden attack, his crimson optics met the furious azure optics of the Seeker Femme. The rest of the Autobots could only watch in a mixture of awe and shock of the normally mild-mannered Femme displaying such brutality and rage. Then again, she _was_ a Seeker.

"You really are a bastard, aren't ya?" Shadeweaver growled. Starscream found that he could not respond and could fill her digits grip the sensitive wiring around his neck. She when slammed her fist into his faceplates and aimed her cannon at him.

"I swear, if you lay a _single_ finger on them or _attempt_ anything like that _ever again_ , I will _not_ hesitate to kill you!" Shadeweaver snarled, pressing her cannon against the Seeker's throat. The look of sheer ire in her optics showed him that she was not fooling around; any sudden moves would result in a decapitated Air Commander. Why this Seeker was so frightfully protective over a couple of puny fleshlings, Starscream just could not fathom and it was not as if the humans were sparklings either; there was no way they could be... At the corner of his optic, Starscream then spotted Thundercracker and Skywarp just about ready to pounce on either side.

_'Don't; something has triggered one of her protection protocols,'_ Starscream warned them through the bond.

_'What? But why?'_ Skywarp asked, _'They're just a couple of Fleshies,'_ he pointed out with confusion in his voice.

_'I'm not sure, Warp but whatever you do, stay still and do not provoke her,'_ Starscream replied, _'Let me handle this as I fancy keeping my helm intact.'_

While the events unfolded, Wheeljack and Ratchet were still tinkering with the device until the rhythmic tremoring of the volcano eventually halted.

"Welp. I think that's the last of it," Wheeljack said, "Prowl says the Seimograph readings have levelled out too," he added.

"Thank Primus," Ratchet vented in relief, "If that device had stirred a reaction, it would have wreaked all sorts of havoc; this planet has enough problems as it is without _that_ and this slaggin' war. Well, I suppose I must return to _my_ area of expertise," he added before he and Wheeljack headed back over to the other Autobots.

"Ratchet, did you and Wheeljack disable the device?" Optimus asked.

"Yes, Optimus. The plan was a success; what happened here?" Ratchet asked, seeing the smouldering remains of the crashed jet in the distance and Shadeweaver poising her cannon against the notorious Air Commander's throat.

"That jerk attacked our sister," Joe growled as he sat on the ground with an unconscious Cathy, "Shade had to physically rip her from the cockpit in order to save her," he added.

"Was she injured?" Ratchet asked, with the Medic's attention fully on the young woman.

"Yeah; just a whack on the head, I think," Joe replied.

"Yes; just unconscious," Ratchet confirmed with a scan, "There is also some bruising and bleeding but they are mostly superficial. She should be fine in a couple of days of inactivity," he added; Joe let out a sigh of relief at this. Ratchet then looked back at the scene as Starscream was held at gunpoint against the enraged Seeker. The tension was so thick that he could easily carve it with his laser scalpel.

As he eyed the cannon dangerously close to decapitating him and realised the indisputable feeling of stalemate of his situation, Starscream could only take one course of action.

"Fine; have it your way," Starscream eventually vented in defeat, "We will not harm the Humans," though normally he would not give up so easily, he really did not want to tangle with a Seeker, especially a Femme, with one of her protection protocols online. It took a few awkward astroseconds before the message processed. Starscream then allowed himself a vent in relief as the Femme eventually lowered her cannon. There was an uncomfortable silence before she spoke.

"I highly suggest you clear off before I change my mind," Shadeweaver said but in a firm, dangerous tone as her protocols still ran through her systems. Then without a word, Starscream eventually motioned his bewildered Trine Mates to follow as he Transformed and took to the air. As the three dots that were Decepticons eventually disappeared into the distance, the Autobots' attentions turned back to the Seeker Femme. Although the threat was gone, there was an uncomfortable silence that still hung around the unpredictable programming that had lain dormant within her until now.

After the awkward silence had been and gone, Ratchet eventually returned to tending to the injured and Wheeljack finished dismantling the device used by the Decepticons. The left over energon cubes were loaded into Optimus's trailer and Joe got into Ratchet's alt-form with his sister, Cathy. Optimus' attention then turned to the figure standing alone gazing out to the beautiful lake. Although he was not a Seeker himself, he understood.

Shadeweaver's protocols had eventually shut down and she now stood in contemplation, thinking over the events of the past hour. As she looked down at lake beneath her where her own reflection lay rippling on the surface. Optics trailing over her form, she eyed the wings, the shoulder vents and her over frame. She was just like them. She was a Seeker just like them and for a moment almost _acted_ like them. It was not the fact that she attacked Starscream that bothered her, he deserved what he endured for attacking her sister, her _Trine Mate_ in the first place; it was more the fact that she lost control. If that had been the wrong person... a dispute with a _friend_ even, then it would have been a very different matter. She had a monster sleeping within her and she did not like it.

"Are you not going to join us, Shadeweaver?" Optimus asked as her came up to her as she gazed at the lake in all its splendour.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for a bit," Shadeweaver replied quietly; he merely nodded in understanding.

"Very well, join us whenever you are ready, Shadeweaver," Optimus replied, gently resting a hand on her shoulder, "but please do not think that your programming makes you any less of an Autobot than you already are. Everyone has a limit. We all have a little darkness in our sparks, even myself, and you are no different. It is more a question of choice on which path to follow that matters, not our primal instincts. So please, try not to dwell on the matter," he added with a gentleness in his voice.

"Thank you, Optimus," Shadeweaver said gratefully, "I will try to bear that in mind." Then after a final reassuring touch on the shoulder, Optimus eventually lead the others back to base. Shadeweaver looked up to the sky, birds flying overhead with not a care in the world.

**o0o0o**

In the late afternoon sun, three jets screamed through the wide open skies, shredding whatever peace that existed into oblivion.

" _Primus_ , Screamer," Skywarp eventually said, "What in the pit happened back there!?" he quizzed, utterly confused. As Starscream pondered the events that unfolded from the previous couple of joors, he recalled the look of sheer ire in her optics. That was a protection protocol. The two Humans were not sparklings, he knew that much at least. Perhaps the Autobot was their guardian but then he recalled their formation. Although they were clearly not as experienced as himself and his trine, their manoeuvres were excellent by Human standards. Could the Humans and the Femme really be what he thought them to be? Were they her Trine? Impossible, but then again after his studies many thousand solar cycles ago...

"I believe there is more to those Humans than meet the eye, Warp."

**o0o0o**

**Author notes:** And that was chapter 8 done and dusted. Took longer than anticipated to get it done but I'm happy with how it turned out. The next chapter will also revolve around some inner conflicts and perhaps the middle, main phase of my story but we'll see how it goes ;) And Starscream has cottoned onto about Shadeweaver's Trine. What will he do about this new knowledge? Only time will tell.

Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reading :)

 


	9. Infiltration

**_ The Seeker Code of Honour _ **

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

 

** Chapter 9 - Infiltration **

Through the thick, black clouds and torrents of rain, two jets fought to stay on course against the gusts of gale-force winds. The Seeker known as Shadeweaver had just finished her patrol along with Joe, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Bumblebee and the five of them headed back to base.

 **::** _ **Bloody hell**_ **, this is** _ **crazy!**_ **::** Shadeweaver exclaimed through a public comm. message, **::I'm getting chucked about here::**

 **::Aye, same here!::** chimed Joe

 **::Think you've got problems? Think of my new paint job!::** Sunstreaker complained as he skidded in the mud, splatting it all over his windshield, **::It's practically ruined!::** he cried.

 **::Yeah, I'm getting mud into places I didn't know I had places::** a miserable Sideswipe agreed as he, Sunstreaker and Bumblebee were almost caked in dirt, **::Race ya to the wash racks!::** he added before kicking in his engine, only to have his back wheels spinning in a puddle.

"Oh! _Slaggit!_ " Sideswipe cursed loudly.

"Sides, you _Afthead!_ " Sunstreaker spluttered as sprays of even more mud covered his frame, " ** _You're making it worse!_** _"_ he shrieked.

"Hey, we're all in the same boat," an equally mud-splattered Bumblebee joined in, "But luckily for me, I have four-wheel drive," he added with a hidden grin before easily driving over the mud-filled puddle.

"Hey, get back here! Show off," Sideswipe pouted before managing to get free from the mud-trap. Sunstreaker, Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Shadeweaver then continued on their journey through the treacherous weather before the Ark came into view.

" _Finally!_ I thought we'd _never_ get there!" Shadeweaver vented in relief as she flew in low.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get into the wash racks, I think Sunny's freaking out back there," Bumblebee said.

"Heh-heh yeah, mud and Lambos don't really mix," Shadeweaver chuckled a little, "Especially if you're as vain as Sunstreaker," she added.

"Hey Shade, how's Cathy recovering by the way?" Bumblebee asked out of interest.

"Quite well, actually. Ratchet said she should be ready to go back on duty in two days," Shadeweaver replied before she transformed along with Bumblebee and landed beside him; Joe landed his jet just outside. Shadeweaver, with Joe on her shoulder, and Bumblebee then walked into the main bridge to find a crowd of Autobots at Teletraan-1.

"It's not just here, Optimus." Spoke the voice of Prowl, "Sudden appearance of large storms have been reported other parts of the word too such as Japan, Africa and South America," he added.

"Hmm. This could very well indicate suspicious activity," Optimus hummed in thought, "Ah. Hello, Shadeweaver, Bumblebee. I trust your journey was event free?" he asked.

"Decepticon-wise, nah, nothing to report but that's some wicked storm out there," Shadeweaver replied, "We could barely fly straight," she added.

"And so many others have reported; it appears that this is a global rather than localised phenomenon," Optimus said.

"Oh? Something's mucked up the weather systems then?" Shadeweaver said.

"Yes, it'd appear so," Optimus said simply.

"Wait. Didn't something like this happen when the Decepticons were at the North Pole?" Spike from nearby recalled, "We were practically knee-deep in snow in the desert of all places," he hinted.

"That could certainly be a factor, Spike; can you scan for any suspicious mining activity, Prowl," Optimus asked his Second-in-Command.

"Running a scan right now, Optimus," Prowl said before the results of said scan appeared less than a minute later, "I seem to have found something of interest. It is very faint but there appears to be some residual energon radiation coming from Antarctica and it is several degrees warmer than it had been less than a day ago," he added.

"Hmm. I believe this is something worth investigating, Prowl," Optimus said; "Autobots: ready yourselves and prepare to leave for Antarctica," he ordered and the Autobots did just that and within an hour, the team left the Ark.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, in the infamous, barren wasteland of Antarctica, a group of Decepticons were working through the howling blizzards, with an ever-growing stack of energon cubes. Thundercracker could not help but marvel at just how well this had gone so far.

"I can't believe just how much energon this thing keeps churning out," Thundercracker commented, seeing the mountain of cubes of their hard day's labour, "Coupled with the few we got from the volcano, this lot should last at least four quartex' not including the energon going to Cybertron," he surmised.

"Yes and according to Soundwave's scan, there should be room for a good few extra," Starscream said.

"Extra for _us_ you mean?" Skywarp grinned.

"For the last time, Skywarp, you are _not_ getting overcharged on this energon!" Starscream screeched, "Now get back to work!" he snapped.

"Fine, Afthole," Skywarp pouted before returning back to the mine.

"C'mon, Screamer. You must admit it's been a while since we had a lucky break like this," Thundercracker said. Starscream vented as he covered his faceplates.

"Oh. Alright but I'll go one better and crack open the Vosian High-Grade," Starscream said with a slight smirk, "But _after_ our work had been completed," he added.

"Sounds good to me," Thundercracker approved, "And I thought contraband with Warp's forte," he added.

"Not always," Starscream smirked a little, "Now let's get back to work, I daren't leave Skywarp down their alone with all that energon," he added before they too returned to the mine to continue extracting energon.

**o0o0o**

As the blizzards picked up, the Seeker Troops assigned to the extraction of energon in the Antarctica mine continued working. It was now early evening and the energon stacks had been growing continuously throughout the day. As Thrust slotted a cube into place, several readings suddenly appeared on his radar.

"Hey, Screamer; multiple readings heading this way," Thrust called, this was just what he needed.

"Slagging Autobots again!" Starscream growled in annoyance, "Everyone, transport whatever energon you can back to base!" he ordered before everyone quickly grabbed the cubes but before they could leave several vehicles coupled by two military jets and a space shuttle appeared.

"Knew _this_ would happen eventually," Thundercracker vented, "I swear they're worse than Scraplets," he added.

"That would be an accurate description, TC," Starscream agreed

**o0o0o**

As the Autobots entered the Arctic Circle, they realised that Prowl was right in that the temperature, though still bitterly cold was much warmer than it had been previously. Flying over the vast white, Shadeweaver then spotted something odd in the distance. There seemed to be a large, unnatural crevasse gouged into the ground. Upon closer inspection, it seemed her thoughts were correct as familiar figures were spotted near it.

 **::Hey, it seems we were right; I can see six Seekers and what looks like an energon mine 50 miles due South East::** Shadeweaver said through the public Autobot comm. system.

 **::Good work Shadeweaver; Autobots: let's put a stop to their plans. The energon extraction must be halted immediately if we are to bring the weather system back to normality::** Optimus said and they sped up over the snow mounds and permafrost-filled ground.

"Hey, Joe; remember that since Cathy's out of commission, we are down to two," Shadeweaver reminded him, "It will be more difficult to cover each other especially as we are outnumbered," she added.

 **::Alright, let's slag those Afts::** Joe replied with determination.

"You spend way too much time around the Twins," Shadeweaver joked.

**::Actually, I learned that from Ratchet, he's always yelling and chucking wrenches at them::**

"Aye, true," Shadeweaver laughed a little, "Bear in mind what I said though as we _are_ more vulnerable," she added with a more serious tone. Joe acknowledge her got into battle position as they neared the mine. It was then that a missile whizzed past them as both Shadeweaver and Joe barrel rolled out of the way. Pretty soon they were being showered in missiles with both of them dodging and sway in the air as best as they could. As the opposing Trine that were the Coneheads came into view, Shadeweaver and Joe got into position and returned fire. There were no wit and comments exchanged between the two sides as they entered a full-on battle as soon as they arrived. Shadeweaver, Joe and Skyfire provided aerial firepower and the rest of the Autobots provided further fire power and strong hand-to-hand combat skills.

As Joe fired missiles while flanking above Shadeweaver; one of the missiles clipped Dirge's side but unbeknownst to him, Thrust had broken off the main trine.

"What's this? A Human posing as a Seeker?" a voice from behind said with a hidden sneer, Joe looked to see the Decepticon behind him, "As if you are any match in that toy!" he added.

 **::Ach. Dammit, he's trailing me!::** Joe scolded himself for his mistake.

"Joe! Flank left!" Shadeweaver said quickly

Then as the jet got into prime position, Thrust was about to fire before they were both caught by surprise by a sudden photon ray, sending the Decepticon flying out of control. Glancing up, Joe noticed the Autobot shuttle a little distance away.

 **::Whew! Thanks, Skyfire. I owe ya::** Joe breathed in relief.

 **::You are most welcome, Joseph::** Skyfire replied

"You alright, Joe?" Shadeweaver asked amidst returning her own firepower.

**::Yeah, blasted Con slipped behind me,::**

"Just keep your wits about you, hey?" Shadeweaver said before they resumed back to their aerial assault.

**o0o0o**

"So _this_ is what they were doing," Prowl said as he entered the mine with Bumblebee; they were awestruck buy the amount of energon crystals in the cave, "Upsetting this volume of crystallised energon must have caused the polar ice cap to start melting with the temperature they exert upon extraction," he surmised.

"I've also found something, Prowl, look," Bumblebee said, indicating a line of tubing. Both Prowl and Bumblebee followed the line into secondary cave and what they saw made them gawk in surprise, "Primus! It's everywhere! No wonder it's been melting, the walls are made of pure energon," he gaped.

"Ok. Bumblebee, I say we report to Prime," Prowl said, "No doubt they are having trouble with the Seekers," he added. Bumblebee and Prowl then quickly returned back to the battlefield.

**o0o0o**

As the Autobots and Decepticons continued to battle relentlessly, Shadeweaver and Joe eventually came nosecone to nosecone with Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp.

"So I see the Autobot Seeker has not learned what happens when you tangle with _me_ " Starscream sneered.

"If I remember rightly, last time I smashed your faceplates in when _you_ shot Cathy out of the sky," Shadeweaver said coldly.

"Hn! Next time, I will blast _you_ out of the sky!" Starscream snarled, before he and his Trine started showing missiles and bullets at the duo. Dodging their attacks, Shadeweaver and Joe returned their own attacks whenever they could.

 **::Damn,** **it** **would be much easier if Cathy was here::** Joe grimaced.

"Hang tight, Joe," Shadeweaver said, though she shared the same sentiments. It was then, however, that the tip of Joe's wing was clipped.

" ** _Joe!_** " Shadeweaver cried.

 **::Damn it! I've been hit!::** Joe cried in frustration and fear as his jet hurtled at a great velocity towards a mountainside;

" ** _EJECT NOW!_** " she ordered and on cue, the dot that were Joe, shot out of his cockpit shot into the air. Shadeweaver then quickly kicked into a Mach 2 towards the falling Human but then, to add insult to injury, their assailant that was Starscream transformed and grabbed him in his servos.

"Oh! No you don't," Shadeweaver growled to herself and as soon as the Femme came into in range, she then transformed and leapt onto the Decepticon's frame.

"Give him back, you jerk!" Shadeweaver snarled with well-aimed punches to the faceplates as she gripped the Seeker's throat.

"You crazy Glitch! _Let go of me!_ " Starscream shrieked as they began hurtling at high speed miles away from the battlefield their combined weight, " ** _We're going to crash!_** " he cried. Then as Starscream eventually involuntarily released the Human from his vice-like grip, Shadeweaver then immediately grabbed him before the two Seekers collided with the ground.

" ** _Shadeweaver!_** " called the Autobots in horror, seeing rocks and dust kick up from the far distance upon impact, they were soon forced out of their thoughts, however as the battle waged on.

" _Screamer!_ " Skywarp called after him but was caught on the frame by a photon ray from Ironhide.

"Fragging pests!" Thundercracker growled, "C'mon, 'Warp!" her added before returning to the matter at hand.

**o0o0o**

The Decepticon was the first to stir. With a dazed groan and a splutter to clear his intakes of snow and ice, Starscream sat up and onlined his optics to find that he was in a dark cave, illuminated with the soft glow of energon crystals. After glancing around, Starscream found that the energon mine had caved in and was now only just large enough for two Cybertronians. Following a scan, Starscream also noted that the foundations were very unstable; to try and escape from the icy tomb would be reckless. Another thing that Starscream noticed was an electromagnetic field emanating from the cave walls; this interference would mean that neither their signals nor their comms messages would be detectable by the others. This was just what he needed.

With the faint crackle of electricity reaching his audio receptors, Starscream turned to see the Autobot only just coming around; she clearly sustained a substantial helm injury as he spied a large wound, showing the sparking circuits underneath. Her right optic was gone and energon streamed down her faceplates. As he got his bearings, Starscream's initial dazed state of being dissipated before anger surfaced as he recalled the Femme's sheer recklessness.

" _Insufferable Femme!_ " Starscream growled to himself, trying to not to throw a fist at the cave wall in frustration, "Thanks to _your_ actions we are now trapped in cave that may well collapse at any given moment!" he snapped.

"Oi! Leave off her, Jerk!" a male voice answered-back, Starscream looked down to see the small male pilot standing defiantly between him and the Autobot.

"Joe, don't," Shadeweaver started.

"You _Fraggers_ were the ones who decided to mine in _Antarctica_ in the first place so don't you put any of this on her!" Joe yelled.

" _Joe!_ " Shadeweaver hissed.

"Hn. I'd keep that glossa in check if I were you, Human!" Starscream snapped, "If it were not for this Primus-forsaken cave, you would be nought but a pile of ash!" he growled.

It was then that Starscream was faced with a cannon aimed at his helm.

"Not if _I_ have anything to say about it," Shadeweaver warned with clear threat in her crackling vocaliser; although she was heavily injured, she still found it in her to force herself to her pedes to let the Seeker know that she was not to be trifled with.

"Oh? And you believe you are in a position to threaten _me_?" Starscream drawled, "You can barely lift that servo let alone control the force from the blast," he sneered.

"Maybe not but I will be long dead before I let you get a hold of either of them," Shadeweaver warned.

"Che. You would really lay down your own spark for those insignificant Fleshlings?" Starscream asked with disgust lacing his voice.

"Of course I would," Shadeweaver told him, "You might see them as insignificant but to me they're everything; they're a part of me," she added, that statement caught his attention.

"Yeah, and don't think Cathy and I wouldn't hesitate to protect Shade either," Joe joined in, "She's been there for us for as long as we can remember and we would definitely put our lives on the line if it came to it," he added with certainty. As Starscream regarded him for the first time, he noticed that Human male had the same steely, determined look in his eyes. It was absurd to think that a Human only the size of his servo could even think of protecting a being of his magnitude but here he was standing defiantly before him sizing him up. It was uncanny that a Human so much smaller than the Femme in front of him could match her in spirit. Had the Human Femme been here too, he was certain that she too would have harboured the same protective urge.

As Starscream recalled the situation at Yellowstone, specifically the symmetry shown during the pilots' flight; that was when a wild thought occurred to him. Although he dismissed it previously, seeing the Human and the Seeker together a second time made him revise his earlier thoughts. Could the Humans have really bonded with this Seeker in such a manner? There was only one way to settle the question that burned in his processor.

"Tell me," Starscream started, "Exactly what relation are those Humans to you?" he asked.

" _You_ should know; what with you Decepticons accessing the RAF database and all," Shadeweaver snorted, "But to answer your question; those Humans, which you tried to kill _twice_ I may add, happen to be my Trine Mates," she revealed. He blinked. Although, the answer had been stored deep down in the recesses of his CPU, it still baffled him.

"Hold on," Starscream said, trying to process what she had just said, "You mean to tell me that those _Fleshlings_ are your _Trine?_ " he quizzed with an optical ridge raised, eyeing the tiny male in front of him with scrutiny. Though they clearly harboured such a connection, the Decepticon still found two organics Trine-bonding with Seeker beyond ridiculous.

" _Primus_ ," Starscream vented, rubbing a servo over his faceplates, "Trust an Autobot like _you_ to bond with a pair of hapless organics!"

"Who I choose to bond with is none of your business," Shadeweaver said hotly, "Besides, I thought the great _Air Commander_ would have figured this out with you lot accessing their files," she added, grimacing as her helm throbbed from the impact.

"What do you mean? We have heard nothing of the sort!" Starscream stated matter-of-factly, "Granted _your_ Royal Air Force profile was accessed but there was nothing to suggest _those_ two," he admitted.

"Oh! Really? Then I suppose their files opened all by themselves, did they? Especially with that document that was sent before they magically appeared-" Shadeweaver scoffed but then noticed that the air of confusion that still lingered. This was when the realisation set in; "You really don't know, do you?" she asked.

"Now would be a good time to spill it, Femme!" Starscream snapped impatiently.

" _Fine_. There was a large security breach three days ago and it was found that each of our profiles were accessed. Shortly after, Joe and Cathy were relocated to Portland through a mysterious document, which Prowl traced back to none other than Soundwave," Shadeweaver told him, "Here; take a look if you don't believe me. I can't databurst ya seeing as my comm's busted but these are all the files they accessed, including prowl's analysis; it also shows the document with Soundwave's Trace ID," she added, bringing out a small chip from her cockpit. Starscream took the chip with scrutiny before downloading the data himself, after viewing the information he realised that the femme was indeed being truthful. He then glanced at the injured Seeker then briefly to the small Human before looking back at the chip in his servos.

"I was not aware of this," Starscream said more so to himself. If soundwave had known about this then surely Megatron will have as well and if that was the case, why was Starscream, the commander of the entire Seeker fleet unaware? Granted that Megatron does not tell him everything that goes on in his life but surely when it is to do with the trine mates of another, Megatron would at least mention this to him. Perhaps it was just that Megatron simply did not realise they were a trine and thought that they were simple accomplices? However, even Starscream did not see the logic in this for he and Megatron _both_ knew from the descriptions in their RAF profiles that they definitely shared a Trine Bond. Just what was the purpose in keeping the existence of her Trine a secret? What was Megatron planning that he could not tell his Seeker comrades? Though he could well be reading too much into the situation, it still gave him an uncomfortable feeling at the bottom of his energon tank that he did not like. He shall have to keep a closer optic on his leader.

Knowing that she had given Starscream something to think about, Shadeweaver let him ponder to himself. With her helm pounding and her declining energon levels, the injured Seeker winced as she slumped back down; seeing this, Joe came immediately to her side.

"Shade? You alright?" Joe asked worriedly. Although his eyesight was not nearly as good as either of the Seekers in the darkened cave, he could tell that she was severely damaged.

"Yeah, don't worry," Shadeweaver vented with a fake smile, "I'm fine; I'm just-" she added.

"Che. Your logic circuits must be malfunctioning if you call _that_ 'fine'," Starscream chimed in, "You have severed a major energon line and are losing energon by the astrosecond. If you do not go into stasis from the damage to your processor, you will from insufficient energon in your system," he added.

" _Shade_ ," Joe started, worry lacing his voice for fear of losing his sister.

"Try not to worry, Joe," Shadeweaver said but she knew that if she didn't get medical help soon, she would fall into stasis from which she could potential never wake from. Glancing down at Human who had been so loyal to her over the years, she noticed him shiver uncontrollably, "Joe you're freezing," she pointed out.

"Nah, I'm fine," Joe said nonchalantly.

"Joe, your body temperature is dropping fast; you are suffering from hypothermia," Shadeweaver stated.

"Alright, alright; maybe Antarctica's just a _wee_ bit colder than Scotland," Joe sighed in defeat, "I'm more worried about you though," he added.

"Joe, it's just a bad concussion," Shadeweaver vented.

"Yes, one that could render you immobile in less than two joors," Starscream chided. Shadeweaver rolled her good optic as she could feel Joe's fear through the bond rise substantially.

"Way to kill the mood, Screamer," Shadeweaver vented; although he was right, she still didn't want her tiny sibling to worry too much.

"I am only stating the facts and you will _not_ call me that," Starscream said indignantly.

"Oh. Shut up," Shadeweaver huffed; Starscream looked insulted, "But Joe, you _need_ to get out of the cold and I mean _now_ ," she added.

"Alright, fine," Joe said, swallowing his pride, it was then that Shadeweaver took the Human in her servo and her cockpit slid away just enough to let him slip into her chassis. As her chest plates closed in on him, he was suddenly engulfed in a warmth with the gentle glow of her spark illuminating the area. Looking at the spark, he could see little spots of light dotting the surface; the white ones he knew were his and Cathy's but then just at the corner of his eye was a faint one of with a slight gold sheen. Thinking nothing more on the matter, Joe let his mind wander.

As she sat there in her own thoughts, Shadeweaver looked up at the uneven, ceiling above with her. Feeling Joe's presence inside her chassis, she couldn't help but think back to a very familiar setting; she knew Joe's mind was also on the same subject.

 _'This brings back some memories, huh?'_ Joe said through their bond.

 _'Yes it most certainly does,'_ Shadeweaver replied with a small smile for twenty-five years ago, the Seeker and her two five year old siblings fought to survive in similar situation in the Cairngorm Mountains.

**_\--FLASHBACK—_ **

_"Joe! Cathy!" Shadeweaver called through the vicious blizzard that marred her vision, "They must be here_ **_somewhere!_ ** _" she added, frustrated._

**_::Squadron Leader Rain to Flight Lieutenant Shadeweaver; what's the situation?::_ ** _called her then-partner._

**_::Not Good, Rain. The temperature has dropped substantially and even with my scanners, the blizzard is making things near impossible; I may need to transform soon if not immediately::_ ** _Shadeweaver replied._

**_::Very well, just try and stay out of sight::_ ** _her superior sighed a little,_ **_::And be careful::_ **

**_::Will do::_ ** _Shadeweaver replied as dipped low before allowing herself to transform and land on the uneven frozen surface. As she looked around the white, unforgiving mountains, Shadeweaver eventually picked up on two very faint heat-signatures. The mechanical being then walked carefully on the rocky surface until she spotted a small cave only just large enough for her to crawl into. Shadeweaver then quickened her pace and peered in to the opening; she vented in relief to discover two tiny figures huddled together, frozen but thankfully alive._

_"Smart kids," Shadeweaver said to herself before taking the children into her servos._

**_::Hey, I found the kids; alive but hypothermic. I think it'd be best if I remain here with them til morning judging by the severity of the weather::_ ** _she commed her partner._

**_::Alright, take care Shade. I'll report to base. Take care of yourself and keep us updated::_ **

_She then thanked her comrades and, with great difficulty, crawled into the cave, wincing as the wall scraped her wing. Glancing out at the bellowing blizzard, Shadeweaver, even as a giant metallic creature, would have been foolish to take of in that, especially with two children on-board. Shadeweaver, with her well-regulated core temperature was not bothered so much by the cold but looking down at the two children, involuntarily shivering in her servos, she knew they needed more warmth than her external heat could provide. There was only one course of action she could take and although she knew she should not allow them so close to her life source, she was their guardian and like hell would she deny their safety now. With that, she allowed her cockpit to slide away, exposing a glowing orb, pulsing in her frame. Gently, she positioned the two sleeping forms inside before enveloping them in a blanket of warmth. As she sat there in the cave, with the two children nestled inside her, she visibly relaxed as their body temperatures stabilised. The boy stirred and opened an eye to marvel as the gentle glowing structure glistened before him; it awed him yet it also brought comfort and reassurance._

_"Shadeweaver?" the boy quizzed._

_"It's alright Joe, I've got ya. It ain't life flashing before your eyes," Shadeweaver voice replied with her usual charm. The boy giggled a little in response._

_"What is it?" Joe asked in wonderment._

_"It's my life source," Shadeweaver replied, "I suppose it's a little like your heart," she added._

_"It's beautiful," Joe said; she smiled to herself at that. It was then that she felt the little boy let out a yawn before drifting off to sleep; she looked up at the rocky ceiling with a vent._

_"Don't worry, I promise I will never let anything happen to you for as long as I live," Shadeweaver stated more so to herself. Little did she know that these turn of events prompted the development of a bond that would determine their fate._

**_\--END FLASHBACK--_ **

Bringing herself back to the present, Shadeweaver now sat twenty-five years later with her sibling encased in her chassis in the frozen cave of Antarctica. The only other addition to the scenery was a certain Decepticon by the name of Starscream.

 _'Heh. An hour trapped with Starscream and I'm still somewhat sane,'_ Shadeweaver said with a half-hearted humour through their bond.

 _'Ayep, that's a miracle in itself,'_ Joe said, causing Shadeweaver to laugh a little.

"I fail to see what is so amusing about any of this," Starscream drawled.

"Uh? Oh. No, I just had a déjà vu moment," Shadeweaver mused, "It's how we bonded. They were just kids when I rescued them from an avalanche; I guess it just happened naturally," she added.

"All trine bonds are natural; it's just traditional to hold as ceremony when we bond, at least we _did_ before the war," Starscream corrected her, "For a Seeker, you do not seem to know much of our customs," he commented bluntly; harsh but true.

"You're right, I don't," Shadeweaver vented, "That's mostly because I was created on Earth. I came out of stasis 30 years ago and I just did what I could; I lived in a military base before I met the Autobots a few weeks ago," she added.

"Then _that's_ why you did not appear on the Cybertron Archives; you are in essence an _Earthling_ ," Starscream realised.

"Basically, yeah," Shadeweaver said simply. There was then a silence and despite the initial sense of disproval of the Femme being an Earthling, Starscream had to admit that she had fared well despite the obvious setbacks. With no guardians or even the slightest knowledge of her race, the Seeker still managed find her way and make the best of her situation, and although she was clearly inexperienced, she still managed to become a fairly competent flier. Then just as he looked back at the small chip in his digits, Starscream was then forced out of his thoughts as he heard the sound of pedes followed by voices.

"Yo! Shade, you in there?" called a familiar, muffled voice.

"Oh! _Thank God_ ," Shadeweaver vented in relief and was anxious to get out of the confined space, "Yeah, Jazz. I'm a bit worse for wear, though," she added.

"Alright, we'll get you out in a jiffy; hang tight, lil' miss," Jazz called back before calling the Autobots over. Within astroseconds, the Autobot team sprang into action and with instructions from Optimus, they began to work on the collapsed mine.

**o0o0o**

After the Autobots painstakingly laboured on the uneven wall, stone and ice started crumbling and shifting away from the entrance. Then with one large shift of rock, a golden ray of sunlight poured into the cave. It was then that Shadeweaver took that moment to open her spark chamber and take Joe from within.

"Jazz, take Joe and let Ratchet look him over; he may still be suffering from hypothermia," Shadeweaver said.

"Right ya are, Shade," Jazz replied, taking Joe as she handed him over through the gap but as another rock crumbled away, loose stones started to fall away from the ceiling. Within astroseconds, the whole section was being supported by Ironhide.

"Wait! Do not remove any more stone, the whole cave is about to collapse!" Starscream warned quickly.

"This would have been so much easier if I'd have slagged your aft into the pit!" Ironhide grunted, though he could care less about Starscream, a fellow Autobot was trapped and injured in there; letting her offline was not on his to-do list. As the Weapons Specialist grimaced under the weight, Shadeweaver then took note of the sunlight streaming onto the floor of the cave; she had an idea.

"Hey Bumblebee; see if you can move yourself in line with the opening," Shadeweaver called.

"Huh? Alright," Bumblebee said, slightly confused. Starscream, however, understood her reasoning as his lengthened shadow met the darkened floor of the cave; he had to commend her on her ingenuity.

"Perfect," Shadeweaver said.

"What now?" Starscream asked.

"Hang on tight," Shadeweaver said before grabbing his wrist.

Then before he could even form a sentence, Starscream yelped in surprise as he was suddenly pulled under as a darkened void swallowed him up. After getting his bearings, Starscream saw that he and Shadeweaver were floating in what appeared to be a vast, darkened void.

"Heh, welcome to my world," Shadeweaver said.

"So _this_ is your shadow-verse," Starscream said looking up to see a rift in the darkness, showing the autobots from below, "This is bizarre."

"Yeah, it's just a dark void," Shadeweaver replied, "It's nothing special really but it can be real handy sometimes. Now whatever you do, don't let go of me as I'm the only one here with a phase-converter; there's no guarantees I can get you back if you do," she warned; Starscream merely acknowledged her with a snort. "Right let's get us outta here," Shadeweaver said as she helped pull them both up to the rift.

With the disappearance of Starscream and Shadeweaver's signal, Ironhide eventually let go of the wall, letting the whole thing cave in. It was then that he then caught sight of what appeared to be an arm coming up from the Bumblebee's Shadow.

"Primus; this is like something outta those zombie movies Humans watch all the time," Sideswipe commented as the femme hoisted herself out of the shadow, grimacing in pain as energon dripped from the wound on her helm. As she crouched down, she then pulled hard until Starscream emerged soon after. Exhausted of most of her reserves, Shadeweaver crouched on the ground, cooling systems going into overdrive. Starscream, then in the light of day took a large vent in relief before he looked down at the femme. This was when he realised that she was far worse off that he first realised; she was leaking energon from a large, open wound on her helm as well as from a smaller bullet wound on her abdomen.

"Primus, Shade; ya look like you've been to Pit an' back," Jazz commented, taking in the damage.

"Yeah; feels like an' a'" Shadeweaver said as the Mech helped support her, "How's Joe?" she asked.

"He's A-ok," Jazz replied, "Lil' chilled but Ratchet recon's he'll be fit to fly tomorrow," he added; Shadeweaver sighed in relief.

" _Good_ ; now it's my turn to be out of commission," Shadeweaver said, almost laughing at the irony.

"Hey Shade! Good to see ya back from the underworld," Sideswipe greeted her with a grin, "Don't see why you had to bring _him_ along though," he added with a distasteful glare at the Decepticon.

"Yeah, rotten Glitch!" Sunstreaker growled as he advanced on him. Starscream's optics then widened as he backed up against the collapsed wall with the mech's cannon poised at the level of his spark. The Golden Mech then powered up his photon ray when Optimus stepped in.

"Fragger!" spat Thundercracker, wincing as two Autobots restrained his sensitive wings.

"Shut up, 'Con, before we melt ya inta Slag!" Ironhide grunted.

"Sunstreaker, wait," Optimus said calmly but firmly, "I advise against it,"he added.

"Huh!? But Optimus this is, _Starscream_ we're talking about, not some lackey!" Sunstreaker yelled in disbelief.

" _Sunstreaker_ ," Optimus said with clear authority in his voice, "I understand your feelings on the matter as we have been locked in a war for vorns on end but violence at the moment in time will not solve matters and although I am indeed the Autobot leader, I am also aware of the Code of Honour," he added. Starscream and the other Seekers within proximity then looked up at the red and blue Mech in surprise. Did the Autobot leader just defend a Seeker's Honour, a _Decepticon_ Seeker at that?

"Phe! That Code's just a ploy! It's just a stupid made up law to save they're scrawny afts!" Sunstreaker growled, Starscream felt a bubble of anger in his energon tank at that as Thundercracker and Skywarp protested loudly; he was about to retaliate when the Femme beat him to it.

"No it's not, how can you even say that?" spoke up Shadeweaver defensively; she could not help but feel insulted by that accusation, "It's not just some Decepticon invention, you know; it's part of our coding, even mine," she added. She winced as she slumped with fatigue.

"What, so you're saying we should just let him go?" Sunstreaker said incredulously with disgust lacing his voice, "That slaggin' Con almost cost you your spark!"

"That being said, Sunstreaker. This will still not solve a thing," Optimus said, patience wearing thin, "Understand that I do empathise with you but we have injured to tend to, our energon levels are low and a Seeker's Code of Honour is _not_ something that I wish to get involved in. Now, I order you to withdraw that firearm so that we can all return to base," he commanded. Then with much reluctance, the Decepticon relaxed as the photon ray was lowered from his spark.

"Fine, whatever," Sunstreaker vented, giving an extra glare to the Decepticon, "I still don't think it's a very wise idea to let him go, however, it is _Starscream_ after all," he added.

"As always, I respect your opinion, Sunstreaker," Optimus said simply before ordering the Autobots to ready for return back to base. After debriefing with what was discovered and swift repairs were made, the Seeker could not help ponder the Autobot Leader's actions.

"Prime," chimed a raspy voice; Optimus turned to the Seeker in question, "Why?" he asked.

"Because, Starscream; although you are a Decepticon and one who has committed many crimes, I know my place when it comes to the Laws of Vos," Optimus replied, "That being said, know that as the Autobot Leader, I will continue to defend our rights not just to Cybertronians but the right of freedom of _all_ sentient beings if necessary. That also includes the well-being of the planets in which they inhabit. I will leave you to your thoughts; you may return when you see fit," he added before walking away from the Seeker. Watching as the Autobots went on their way back to Northern Hemisphere, Starscream then after running the events of the past few joors through his processor eventually transformed and headed back to the Decepticon base with Thundercracker and Skywarp.

**o0o0o**

There was an awkward, stunned silence only marred by the sound of their humming energon dispenser in their quarters as their Trine Leader's words sunk into their CPUs.

"You cannot be serious," Thundercracker said slowly in disbelief at the very idea, "You mean to me tell that-?"

" _Are you fragged in the slaggin' processor!?_ " Skywarp blurted out, "How in the fraggin' pit could a pair of _Humans_ even-!?"

"I agree with Skywarp, this is so ridiculous it's not even funny," Thundercracker said.

"Yeah! They're _Humans; disgusting_ little _organics!_ " Skywarp stressed, repulsed at the very idea, "They're about as far from Seekers as you could get!" he exclaimed.

"Try to remember that organics also have sparks, Warp; my research before the war concluded this and you know as well as I do that Seekers _are_ able to form Trines with other Cybertronians as well," Starscream pointed out, "It stands to reason that a Seeker could also bond with organics, given the chance," he added.

"But how do you know she's not lying?" Skywarp challenged, "As far as I'm concerned, she's just another Autobot Scum trying to exploit our-!" he growled.

"Skywarp; a _Seeker_ just risked her own spark for an _organic_ ; you should know that she would _not_ have risked so much for so little if they were not her own trine," Starscream pointed out, "And if you'll remember three days ago, she also exerted protection protocols when we injured the Human Femme. I believe that is evidence enough," he added; both Skywarp and Thundercracker had to admit that Starscream was right in that respect.

"But-" Skywarp started again but found that he was quickly running out of valid arguments against such an incredulous statement, "Oh. I dunno; this whole thing's making my processor ache," he vented.

"You aren't the only one, Warp," Thundercracker admitted.

" _Also_ , to add to what I have discovered, I happened across some evidence that of information that were withheld from us by none other than the Decepticon Leader himself," Starscream continued, holding a chip in his digits.

"What do ya mean?" Thundercracker quizzed, taking the small chip in his servos, "You mean Megatron _knew_ about this?" he asked but the silence and subdued expression seemed to answer this for him.

"It would seem so, TC," Starscream replied. Then after view the information on the chip, Thundercracker and Skywarp then realised the gravity of the situation. Not only had the Autobot Seeker indeed formed a Trine with Human Pilots, Megatron had in fact known for weeks and had intervened without their knowledge.

"But Screamer, surely Megatron wouldn't go against our Code," Thundercracker said.

"Perhaps he won't but then again, I believe we should keep our optics on him and our audio receptors tuned," Starscream said.

"So with all that been said and done, what in the pit do we do about them? If they really are her Trine, isn't it against the Code of Honour to harm them?" Thundercracker asked?

"I am really not sure, TC but as I said before, we should keep our helms down yet sensors alert," Starscream vented, honestly at a loss about the situation, "I think it would be best to wait and see what transpires. Even though they are both Humans, as they _are_ her Trine Members, they are also under the protection of the Code of Honour. To kill either of them would be an extreme breach. We shall also continue our work as per usual until further notice but take not of anything that Megatron days or does," he added. With that Starscream Thundercracker and Skywarp let the new information run through their processors before continuing with their routines. This was certainly murky waters that they were in just now and it seemed that Megatron was in deeper than previously thought. Why would Megatron want the two organics in his proximity; surely he knew that the Code extended to them too being part of a Trine? Whatever the case; knowing his Leader, the reason for his actions could not be a good one. They had to be extra vigilant.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile: in the throne room of the Nemesis, the Decepticon Leader was blissfully unaware of discoveries about his plans that were unfolding.

"Hmm. So the Femme has been injured during battle and judging from what I've heard the Human female should be out of commission for at least another day," Megatron hummed to himself as he reviewed the footage provided by Laserbeak. A smirk then played across his faceplates, "Ready the second phase, Soundwave. Send Ravage undercover to the military base," he ordered.

"Yes: My Lord Megatron," Soundwave replied in his monotonous voice, "Ravage: eject!" he ordered, allowing the mechanical panther to launch from his chassis, "Operation: infiltration," he added. The metallic feline then sprang out of the Nemesis to carry out its new objective.

 


	10. Diversion

_**The Seeker Code of Honour** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Diversion**

"So you have failed your mission," Megatron started slowly in a cold, dangerous tone as he scowled down at the unfortunate Second-In-Command, "Why am I not surprised?" he drawled. A whole day had passed since Antarctica and after scouting for energon, the trine had returned empty handed and now had the daunting task of debriefing the Warlord himself.

"But- but Lord Megatron," Starscream started, "The Autobots ambushed us, we were outnumbered-!"; Thundercracker and Skywarp cringed as he was cut off by a powerful blow to the faceplates.

' _Will he ever learn stay down?'_  Thundercracker sighed through the bond.

' _TC, this is_ _ **Screamer**_ _we're talking about here,'_  Skywarp hinted,  _'He_ _ **never**_ _backs down.'_

"SILENCE, you  _worthless_  pile of  _slag!_ " Megatron spat, "I have said this before and I will say it again; ever since we have come out of stasis on this mudball, you have brought us nothing but failure. You are an embarrassment to the entire faction who has not only just lost us a quartex' worth of energon but has also failed to achieve a simple daily quota!" he sneered. Wiping a trickle of energon from his faceplates, Starscream clenched his servos and glared at the Warlord with ire in his optics.

"For your utter incompetence, I want you to rid the base of your stupidity and to not return until you have recovered the energon that you have lost yesterday as well as filled the quota that you  _should_ have today; and  _that_  is an order," Megatron stated firmly.

"What!? You cannot be s-" Starscream started indignantly.

"I  _ **said**_ ;  _that_  is an order," Megatron said with clear, unwavering authority in his voice; Starscream then exchanged looks with his Trine Brothers then back at the Decepticon Leader, "Now leave before I use other means to remove you," he added dangerously. The initial surprised, horrified expression soon turned back to hatred as Starscream's optics burned into his unwavering, firm glare. Then realising that he had ultimately lost this argument, Starscream let out an audible snarl before storming out of the throne room releasing curses in his wake. Thundercracker and Skywarp quickly followed their fuming Trine Leader through the corridors not caring who got in their way.

"Curse him!" Starscream snarled as he walked briskly ahead, "One day, Megatron, I swear.  _One day!_ " he growled.

' _This would've gone much more smoothly if he'd just kept that fraggin' vocaliser shut,'_  Thundercracker commented tiredly through the bond.

' _Yup, but then again that vocaliser's what he's famous for,'_  Skywarp hinted, earning a slight snort of amusement from Thundercracker's end.

"Thundercracker; Skywarp!" Starscream suddenly snapped, forcing them out their thoughts, "Go and re-energise yourselves. I shall meet you at the hangar in less than a joor and carry out our  _dear_   _Lord_   _Megatron's_  little errand," he added with a strong sense of venomous sarcasm aimed at the Decepticon Warlord.

"Alright, see ya I guess," Thundercracker said, "And Screamer, try and not antagonise him too much hey? We kinda still need your helm intact," he added out of jest. Starscream merely rolled his optics in response. Although Megatron irked him to no end, Starscream knew his undying pride often put him in his line of fire.

"Whatever just be back within a joor," Starscream said,  _'And remember to keep what we discovered about the Femme between ourselves,'_ he added through their bond away from prying audio receptors. Thundercracker and Skywarp merely acknowledged with a nod before they went their separate ways. Little did Starscream know, however, their Lord was already way ahead of them.

Meanwhile, back in the main bridge, Megatron could only vent as he rubbed his faceplates in annoyance.

"Soundwave, what is Ravage's status?" he asked his loyal communications officer.

"Ravage is currently wired into the Military network ," Soundwave replied, "He is ready to set the beacon and is awaiting your orders, Lord Megatron," he added.

"Excellent," Megatron replied with an evil smirk, "Just like a moth to a flame," he added with a dark guffaw.

**o0o0o**

At first there was nothing but the emptiness that graced the senses. In the void of nonexistence she lingered; stagnant was the air and and stale was the mind. The Humans would call this place Limbo where you would float around til the end of time neither dead nor alive, nor up nor down.

_WARNING_

_CPU_MAIN: 75% CORRUPT_

_STASIS LOCK COMMENCING_

There was a crackle followed by a low hum that graced her audio receptors. Then little by little, out of the neverending nothingness came darkness. A dark void, stone cold and deathly silent only marred by the odd faint mechanical whirr.

_USER_OVERRIDE: CMO_RATCHET: ACCEPTED_

_USER_INPUT: STASIS LOCK ABORT_

Heat. Little fingers of warmth spread out through her chassis. They travelled like little rivers through her systems slowly bringing her components to life. There was a faint click and a whirr in the surrounding darkness came before a faint, static filled her mind.

_CPU_MAIN INSTALLATION: ACCEPTED_

_DOWNLOADING DATA_

Images flickered through her internal vision. In terms of a Human, this would equate to having your life flash before your eyes. Her Human friends, the base, the Autobots, her trine; everything that had happened in her life came flooding back like a tidal wave.

_DOWNLOAD COMPLETE_

_STARTING UP_

_SYSTEMS COMING ONLINE_

Distant sounds and voices became apparent. Sensory nodes slowly started to come back online with jolts of electricity travelling down her frame. She felt her digits twitch as her motion sensors recalibrated.

"Alright, that should do it for now," a faint yet clearer voice spoke up as she felt a slight  _click_ of a metallic plate snapping into place. Static filled her vision as she opened her optics. Then with a few blinks, her optics adjusted as the red and white blob slowly became the Autobot medic.

"Ratchet?" she started, vocaliser sounding hoarse, "How long?" she asked finding it difficult to form a sentence.

"Approximately one full cycle and you'll be pleased to know that Joseph is perfectly fine with no lasting injuries," Ratchet replied, the Seeker visibly relaxed at that. A mirror hanging above the berth then caught her attention. With her CPU clearing and her motion sensors almost at full capacity once more, she reached a servo up to the helm. Examining the Medic's handiwork, she felt around the edges of a sheet of metal covering where the head wound from the cave would have been.

"It is just some temporary repair work. It is less than perfect but it will prevent you from contracting rust infections; I will finish up repairs as soon as we can gain some more materials," Ratchet started, "I also had Perceptor to help repair your CPU and that your internal communication systems are functional again," he added.

"You are a very fortunate individual, you know," Ratchet said with a small vent, "Had we waited for much longer, you could have entered a non-medically-induced stasis lock. That could very well have corrupted your CPU beyond repair," he stated.

"Wow, really?" Shadeweaver commented with optics widened slightly in surprise, "Didn't think I was cutting it so close."

"Yes quite," Ratchet hummed.

It was then at that moment that to glance around the med-bay; she had been in here so often already that it was vastly becoming a permanent place of residence for her.

"You know at this rate I'm gonna end up beating Sunny and Side's record," Shadeweaver said with a vent.

"Don't even think about it; I have enough problems with those Slaggers stirring things up around here," Ratchet warned but with a hint of amusement.

"Yeah," Shadeweaver chuckled a little, eyeing a dent in the wall from one of his wrenches. Then as the Femme's optic caught sight of one of the Autobot insignia on her wing, a question that had plagued her since she first met the Autobots burned in her processor once more, "Hey, Ratchet; can I ask you something?" she started.

"Of course," Ratchet said simply.

"How come most Seekers are Decepticons?" Shadeweaver asked. Ratchet stalled for a moment before letting out a long vent. He should have known she would ask this sooner or later.

"Well, that was mostly due to Megatron's influence," Ratchet said, "Heard some remarks have you?" he asked.

"One or two passing comments," Shadeweaver admitted, "They weren't aimed at  _me_  but…" she trailed off.

"Well, of all Cybertronians, Megatron favours the Seeker race in particular," Ratchet started, "And it is widely said by both Seekers and Cybertronians alike that he actively holds their Code of Honour close to his spark. During his speech after the ascent to the Leader of the Decepticons, as well as providing a voice for slave labour, he also proclaimed that all Seekers would be welcomed with open servos and that he would provide each of their wants and needs. That also included utmost respect for the Laws of Vos. Thus, over time, many of the Seekers migrated towards the Decepticon faction, including some of our own," he added; Shadeweaver just remained silent, absorbing what was being said.

"Due to their inherent programming, it is said that Seekers are generally Decepticon by nature. They can be brutal in their attacks and can also be frightfully protective, not hesitating to kill if their trines or sparklings are harmed in anyway. I bet you could give a few examples of some of this programming?" Ratchet explained. Although she would purge at the very idea of being a Decepticon, Shadeweaver could certainly recall a few times where her programming had surfaced; the latest events being at Yellowstone and Antarctica.

"Then do you think I  _should_  have been a Decepticon?" Shadeweaver asked, "I don't see how I could but there have been a few times in the past where I almost gave in to that programming," she admitted

"No Shade, I do not" Ratchet stated with confidence, "Please bear in mind that this is your instinctual programing that we're talking about; not your personal identity. As Optimus rightly said,  _everyone_ has a dark streak that has the potential to surface when triggered. Yes you may have that base instinct but your upbringing, your logic circuits and your personality also contribute. For instance, you may have wanted to harm someone but your logic circuits and your morals prevented you from doing so, am I right?" he hinted.

"I guess," Shadeweaver said simply.

"You really shouldn't listen to those remarks, Shade," Ratchet said, "Though Seekers are Decepticons in nature, it is really down to your own personal choices in life; you chose to help and protect others, therefore you are an Autobot in my optics," he added with a smile.

"Thanks Ratchet," Shadeweaver replied gratefully with a small smile in return, "Anyways, suppose I should go-" she added but just then, two familiar tiny individuals walked into the med-bay.

"Hey, Ratchet how's-" Joe started but noticed that the Seeker Femme had made to sit up, " _Shade_ , you're ok!" he exclaimed as he and Cathy ran up to their sister with relief and joy in his voice; she carried them both up to the berth beside her.

"Yes, she will be fine," Ratchet said, "I still have some minor repairs to make at a later date but she will make a full recovery," he added.

"Oh! Thank God!" Cathy sighed in relief, "We thought we were gonna lose you," she added.

"Yeah, that was some scare you gave us," Joe commented, "You almost slipped into a coma by the time we got back to base; Cathy was practically in tears when we arrived back," he added.

"I know, I know; I'm really sorry," Shadeweaver apologised; she knew that Joe and Cathy must have been beside themselves and she instantly felt bad knowing the internal pain that they had gone through, "I didn't mean to scare you guys," she added as she held them close, allowing the two small Humans to cuddle into her frame.

Judging by the closeness and the silence that befell, Ratchet knew that the mismatched trine had slipped into a conversation through their bond. Although Seekers could be difficult at times, he always found that the closeness of a trine was rather pleasant to witness. It was then at that Ratchet decided to let them have a moment to themselves and made to calibrate some of the equipment in a small adjacent room.

**o0o0o**

A joor later, most of the Autobots were in the rec-room either re-energising, engaging in a conversation or just chilling out.

"And the wrenches just kept on coming," Sideswipe said, "I swear Sunny and I came out with bigger dents than the Pits of Kaon," he added with the surrounding Autobots laughing in response.

"Well, you  _did_ paint him neon green," chimed Cliffjumper.

"Neon green huh?" chimed a certain navy blue/green Femme as she walked in with Joe and Cathy, "Nice choice," she added with a grin of approval and a thumbs up.

"Hey, Shade; nice to see ya in once piece again," Sideswipe greeted her.

"So, what's up besides annoying the life outta Ratchet?" Shadeweaver asked.

"Not much, just hangin'," Sideswipe said nonchalantly, "So, you ever pulled a prank?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Not me but I know a certain  _someone_ who has," Shadeweaver said; Joe flinched as he felt her gaze on him, "Hey may not look it but this guy is one  _hell_ of a prankster," she added, gesturing Joe.

"Shade, Shade; tell him about the one with the paint," Cathy suddenly chimed in; Shadeweaver's optics widened for a moment at this.

" _Cathy!_ " Joe hissed, "Did ya have to remind her of  _that!?_ "

"Oh. God, yeah. Thanks for reminding me," Shadeweaver groaned, she saw the rest of the Autobots were eagerly awaiting her tale; she vented a little, "Alright, one day about five years ago; Joe, Cathy and I had just come in from our daily patrol. This was also happened to be time for my monthly repaint where the engineers on base would help to recoat and buff me. Anyway, at the time, Joe was responsible for ordering and getting the paints ready but unbeknownst to me, he decided to add his own little flair to the mix," she added; Joe sank under the gaze bore into his soul.

"Anyway so, I came in, the engineers repainted me, waxed and buffed me. It was absolutely fine, nothing out of the ordinary. Then after performing our duties around base, it was time to head to the hangar and recharge. So the three of us headed back there but I noticed Joe was a little hesitant but assured me he was ok so I thought nothing more on the matter. But then as the lights went out, I saw exactly what he was so on edge about. Somehow the little Slagger switched my order without my knowledge and I was glowing bright green like a giant freakin' neon light," she added and the whole room roared with laughter. "The engineers then obviously had to strip the paint off while everyone, including the Air Marshall, were practically dying with laughter.  _That_ was by far the most embarrassing that happened to me," the Femme continued, covering her faceplates at the memory.

"So what was your reaction like?" Cliffjumper asked.

"Well, let's just say he ran a mile and hid from me for the rest of the week," Shadeweaver replied, "And I have yet to get him back for that," she added with smirk towards the Human Male who rubbed his head nervously on her shoulder.

"Heh-heh; you gotta admit though, you were rather fetching in glowing neon green," Cathy commented with a grin.

"Yeah, it's not so good on stealth missions, however," Shadeweaver said but just then an alarm sounded.

"It's Teletraan-1," Prowl spoke up, "It's a Decepticon frequency, Optimus. It seems to be emanating from Portland, Sir," he added.

" _Primus!_  Can't we have  _one_ day without those Slaggers?" Sunstreaker vented.

"Apparently not," Shadeweaver commented tiredly.

"Very well, Autobots: ready yourselves for departure," Optimus ordered, "Shadeweaver, I want you and your comrades remain here. You are still recovering from your injuries, thus you would only place yourself and your Trine in unnecessary danger; Red Alert and First Aid will accompany you," he added. Shadeweaver could only agree with this and gave a nodded in acknowledgement. Then within a breem, the once bustling base had become eerily silent as the Autobots transformed and left under Optimus' orders.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, in the main bridge of the Nemesis, Megatron watched intently as the Autobots drove through the desert. A wicked smirked played across his features.

"Excellent; everything is going just as I planned," Megatron said before opening a public comm. link," Decepticons; prepare for departure," he ordered

**o0o0o**

"So what do think they want this time?" Joe asked, genuinely curious as Shadeweaver strolled through the base.

"No idea but knowing the Decepticons, it can't be a good thing," Shadeweaver replied knowingly.

"So, what now?" Cathy asked.

"Dunno," Shadeweaver shrugged.

"Hey, maybe we can switch Ratchet's tools around," Joe grinned.

"Eh nah," Shadeweaver said, dismissing the thought entirely, "If you think I'm having wrenches chucked at my helm, you're sadly mistaken," she added.

"You know, that's the second Cybertronian word you've said today, guess you're finally getting with the lingo," Joe commented.

"Yeah- hold on," Shadeweaver said before being cut off by an odd interference that filled the air, "I thought I sensed something just now," she said.

"Huh? Like what?" Joe asked but then her optics widened.

"I don't know it was a sort of static in the air - Oh! No," Shadeweaver said as she recognised that frequency, " _Decepticons!_ "

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, at Portland IAP; the Autobots were scouting the air base with residents' permission.

"I don't get it; if Teletraan-1 detected the Cons, then where's all the Cons?" Jazz asked, confused.

"That is a fair question, Jazz," Optimus hummed but then Bumblebee's voice crackled into the public comm.

**::Hey guys, I found the source of the signal; it looks like it was some kind of beacon::**

"Huh? What do ya suppose this all means?" Sideswipe asked.

"It means we've been had!" Sunstreaker growled, "Don't you see? Those blasted Cons baited us here!" he added.

"But why in the pit-" Bumblebee started but was suddenly cut off by a frantic, crackled message .

**::Optimus, Optimus! Are you receiving me!?::**

**::Yes, old friend. Whatever is the matter?::**

**::It's the Decepticons, Optimus, they're storming the Ark! They're after Sha- aaargh!:** : he yelled followed by a loud blast.

 **::Red Alert. Red Alert do you copy?::**  Optimus called but could only hear white noise.

"Autobots: get ready to roll out," Optimus ordered before they swiftly transformed and travelled as fast as they could back to the Ark.

"I knew this would happen!" Sunstreaker growled as he revved through the desert.

"Yeah, let's hope we're not too late so I can slag those fraggin' Cons!" spoke up Ironhide.

**o0o0o**

"Decepticons!? I thought they were busy attacking Portland!?" Cathy exclaimed.

"Yeah, and now everyone's left base besides me, Red Alert and First Aid," Shadeweaver hinted, "They must have lured them out, leaving the base easy prey," she reasoned.

"It was diversion…" Cathy realised in horror, "Quick call Optimus!" she said.

"I can't, there's something blocking the comm. link," Shadeweaver grimaced, "I'll get Red Alert, maybe he can use Teletraan-1 to-" she said as she bolted down the corridor but she was cut off by an explosion coming from the main bridge.

"Don't tell me they've already stormed the base!" Joe exclaimed.

"Afraid so,  _and_ there's way too much ambient light in here," Shadeweaver hinted, "This means I won't be able to shadow merge," she added as she ran down the corridor with Joe and Cathy clinging to her shoulder vents.

As the Femme ran into the main bridge, she stopped in her tracks as thick black smoke bellowed from the large monitor.

"Dammit! Teletraan-1's down!" Shadeweaver cursed.

Then in front of the destroyed monitor, she spotted the figure of an Autobot laying face down with a gash in his side; Shadeweaver immediately came to his side.

"Red,  _Red!_  C'mon," Shadeweaver cried, gently shaking the Mech's shoulders; he then to her relief opened his optics.

"Shade...?" Red alert groaned as he came around.

"Oh.  _Thank God_ , I thought you were a goner," Shadeweaver vented in relief, "Who did this to you?" she asked.

"C-Combaticons," the Mech struggled, "Go; get out of here. The Decepticons are here looking for you and your Trine. Take the Humans and get yourself to safety; I have alerted Optimus and he will be here in a little over a breem," he added. "Go!" Red Alert yelled. Then with much reluctance, the Seeker got up and ran for the main enter entrance. But before she could even reach the threshold, her vents hitched in surprise as a figure that she hoped never to come across made her stop in her tracks.

"Megatron...!" Shadeweaver said quietly in shock at the sight of the silver Warlord.

"Ah. Shadeweaver; a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Megatron smirked with a dark undertone. The Femme could only back up not only in fear of the Mech that walked dangerously into the Autobot base but also for the lives of the two tiny figures who sat astride her shoulders.


	11. Abduction

_**The Seeker Code of Honour** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Abduction**

Shadeweaver looked on in horror as the grey Overlord walked into the main bridge. This was the first time the Femme had actually encountered Megatron, having only briefly glimpsed at him during battle a week or so ago, and he was just as intimidating as she was lead to belief. As she backed up, she could feel the two humans on her shoulders try to hide from his crimson gaze.

She spotted a Decepticon from the corner of her optics as he come into the main bridge holding the Autobot, First Aid hostage. As the Medical Assistant struggled against the Decepticon's grip, a footfall then stole the Femme's attention to another Decepticon flanking her right side. She was suddenly surrounded on all sides with no means of escape and the Decepticon Leader knew it. The Warlord then gave a silent yet wicked laugh.

"There is no escape for you now,  _Autobot_  ," Megatron stated, "You would be wise to surrender yourself peacefully to me; I am sure that your little comrades would not want to witness me extinguishing your spark," he added dangerously as he advanced on her.

As she backed up from his advance, she then felt an invisible mass behind her but before she could react, she cringed in pain as a pair of servos dug into her sensitive wings. The air then distorted before, to her horror, the Decepticon restraining her revealed himself. She then realised that the Decepticons had developed some sort of cloaking device thus sneaking past security with ease. The Femme grimaced as she was forced roughly to her knees before the warlord.

' _Joe, Cathy; listen,'_  Shadeweaver spoke quickly through the trine bond,  _'I've opened a hatch to my subspace behind my right shoulder vent; go now and get out of sight til I tell you otherwise,'_  she added.

' _But Shade-'_  Joe started.

' _ **Now!**_ _'_  Shadeweaver cut in with clear authority.

' _C'mon Cath,'_  Joe said before he and his sister quickly started scrambling down her frame, taking care not to slip on her glossy, metallic finish. As Joe looked down, he then noticed a small opening just beside her wing joint and motioned his sister to follow but before either of them could get anywhere near, a crimson gaze fell upon them.

"Ah. I see you brought the little insects along for the ride," Megatron said, her optics widened at this, "Vortex, relieve her of them but do not offline them, they may yet be of further use," he ordered.

"Gladly, my Lord," the Decepticon restraining he replied with an evil smirk.

"What!?  _No!_ Let me go you- _ **argh!**_ " Shadeweaver cried in pain as she struggled against the iron grip.

"Shut it, Glitch!" Vortex growled as he dug his digits into a metal plate, "Now come to Papa,  _little Slaggers_ ," he added as he reached for the Humans, who could only hide behind her shoulder vent.

"Over my dead body!" Joe growled in response.

"Oh. How I wish that were the case, now get here you little-!" Vortex muttered before, to Shadeweaver's horror, he finally managed to enclose a fist around them and lift the frantically struggling Humans from her chassis.

" _ **No!**_  Leave them out of it!" the helpless Femme bade desperately, trying and failing to shake the Decepticon off as he handed the Humans over to the Decepticon leader, "I swear, if you harm  _either_  of them I'll-!" she yelled only to he slammed hard onto the metallic floor with a kick to the side.

" _ **Shade!**_ " Cathy cried as her Trine Mate coughed up a glob of energon, " _No!_  Leave our sister alone, you _bastards!_ " she added only for her pleas to be cut off by a booming laugh.

"You'll what? Offline  _me?_ " Megatron guffawed as he knelt down on one knee in front of her and forced her to look into his scarlet optics, "Don't make me laugh, as if I could fall at the servos of a cowardly,  _weak_   _Seeker_ like  _you,_ " he added with a merciless sneer; Shadeweaver could only let out an audible snarl in response. The other Decepticons only laughed at her inconvenience.

"Onslaught if you'll please?" Megatron hinted, dropping her helm as he stood up, "I do not want to stay here any longer than necessary," he added as he walked away. A Decepticon then stepped forth with a small device.

"What? No! Get your hands off me, you-!" Shadeweaver protested before she felt something sharp pierce her main energon line. Then within astroseconds, she knew nothing as she slipped into stasis.

"Brawl, vortex; you are in charge of transporting the Femme, Onslaught; re-apply the tranquilizing unit if necessary," Megatron ordered, with each acknowledging him, "Oh! And Swindle; dispose of that piece of scrap, you don't know where it's been," the Warlord added to the Decepticon restraining First Aid, who promptly tossed him aside. The Decepticons then left the Autobot base, leaving the Main Bridge eerily quiet.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, with the orange sky of dusk with nothing but the busy, city life in the distance, the sudden, roaring sound thrusters disturbed the peaceful, serene silence. Twisting and turning, a jet angrily cut through the darkened sky with two others following close behind. Anyone within proximity would turn a deaf ear at the military jets doing their rounds but one observant enough could hear the scream of rage in the lead jet's approach; for Starscream was his name.

"Curse that blasted Megatron!" Starscream screeched to himself as he sliced through the low-lying clouds, "How in the pit am I supposed to conjure two quartex' worth of energon from this barren wasteland!? I'm a  _scientist_ , not a fraggin' magician! If  _I_  were leader, we would have won this slaggin' war long ago!" he growled before diving through another cloud.

' _And like it's our fault he mouthed off at Megatron yet again,'_  Skywarp said tiredly to Thundercracker through the bond.

' _Just let him blow off some steam, Warp,'_  Thundercracker said knowing that this was really the only way a Seeker could release pent up frustrations,  _'We're just about done anyway.'_

Starscream attacked the air furiously, dipping in and out of the blanket of cloud just revelling in the taste of utmost freedom that filled his spark. Feeling of the cool breeze rippling through his chassis, Starscream allowed the night air around him smother his senses. Losing himself in the sensation of freedom and the thrill of flight, Starscream could eventually feel his anger, frustrations and the overall tension in his frame melt away. With a long, shuddering vent of relief, Starscream allowed himself to come back to the present.

He had lost count on how many times he took his frustrations out on the sky in the past few weeks. It was like Primus was laughing at his expense, lapping up any chance to plant whatever daily misfortune on the hapless Second in Command he could think off. Then as if things couldn't get any worse, there was that blasted Autobot, Shadeweaver; a Shade-phasing Seeker just complicate things even more. Had it been any other Cybertronian, Starscream could have just launch a few null-rays and be done with them but as a Seeker with a Trine, human or not, she was under the protection of the Code of Honour as were the organics. And with being not only a Seeker himself but the Air Commander to the entire fleet, Starscream was not about to betray that Code anytime soon.

As Starscream flitted through the sky, now cruising at a semi-casual speed, his internal communications system eventually picked up on what seemed like static, followed by a garbled message.

"Hey, you two, tune into frequency alpha zeta 3," Starscream spoke up, "I seem to have stumbled upon a message," he added.

"Yeah, on it Screamer," Skywarp replied. Then as the trine tuned in, the static then cleared to reveal a very familiar voice.

"What the-! That's  _Megatron's_  frequency," Thundercracker pointed, "How in the pit did you catch that? It's normally encrypted," he asked.

"I don't know, TC," Starscream said as the conversation took place, "Now hush."

**::Now Soundwave, when we arrive, I want you to keep the other Seekers at bay as we planned. If they even catch wind of our operations, all of our hard work up til now would be for nought::**

**::Understood, my Lord::**

"So then you were right," Skywarp realised, "He  _is_ doing stuff behind our backs."

**::Also, make sure to set up a signal dampener in holding cell theta-7. Should any Seekers happen to return, I would rather they could not sense her trine signal once aboard::**

" _Her?_ " Thundercracker quizzed.

**::Understood, holding cell theta-7 is now operational and ready for her arrival::**

"This could only mean one thing," Starscream started, "That  _Fragger_ must gone have apprehended the Seeker Femme while we were out hunting energon for his sorry Aft!" he snarled.

"So what do we do now?" Thundercracker asked, "I mean, he's going against our Code like we said he would!" he exclaimed.

"Now, TC," Starscream started, " _Now_ , we act," he proclaimed with determination.

"Hey Screamer, maybe we're, you know, jumping the gun a bit here," Skywarp chimed in, "I mean, sure he wants the Femme and all, that's pretty obvious but how can we be sure he's  _actually_ going to kill off her trine? Maybe he won't actually go that far," he suggested.

"He  _does_ have a point there, Screamer," Thundercracker admitted.

"Not the Megatron _I_  know," Starscream said knowingly, "That Fragger has lied and cheated behind our backs, and has known of their existence for weeks. He has intervened without our knowledge and now has the Femme under his grasp. Why in the pit would he even bother to bring the Humans over if he was only interested in the Femme? No; I believe that he has sinister intentions for them, and Human or not, he knows as well as I do that they are also under protection of the Code of Honour," he explained. Both Thundercracker and Skywarp only hummed in response as they realised that their Trine Leader was right.

"So, how are going to go about doing this?" Thundercracker asked.

"Well, I suggest we take a subtle approach as I would rather if Megatron remained oblivious to our discovery for the time being," Starscream replied, "Skywarp, engage the signal dampener and Thundercracker, see if you can isolate that frequency breach; I have a plan," he ordered.

"Alright, isolating now," Thundercracker replied before setting about his given task. Though Starscream could be difficult at times, both he and Skywarp agreed that their Trine Leader could be an excellent strategist when the situation called for it. Then within astroseconds, Thundercracker transmitted the data to his Trine Mates and the three of them warped away into the thin air.

**o0o0o**

In the vast desert of Oregon; following Red Alert's troubling message from earlier, the Autobots sped as fast as they could back to their base that now came into view over the horizon.

"Frag! I still can't get through!" Sunstreaker growled in frustration, "This wouldn't have happened if I'd have just snuffed Screamer's spark!" he added.

"You do not know that, Sunstreaker," Optimus said.

As they neared their base, Optimus saw it was quiet and the lighting system was non-functional. As the Autobots transformed as they drove into the eerily quiet main bridge, Optimus saw that the that Teletraan-1 had indeed been crippled with the monitor still bellowing smoke. There was a crackle in the air and his attentions were turned to a figure barely online near the monitor as First Aid tended to him. Ratchet immediately came over to help tend to the fallen Autobot's injuries.

"What in Primus' name happened?" Optimus asked with deep concern as he crouched next to the injured Autobot.

"It was the Decepticons, Prime," First Aid replied, "They stormed the base and attacked us without being detected. Th-they took Shade and the Humans, Sir; we could not do anything to prevent it," he added with shame showing.

"Those Fraggers!" Ironhide growled as he punch the wall in frustration.

"See, I told you this would happen, Prime! If I'd have just blasted Screamer's spark, she would still be here!" Sunstreaker yelled animatedly.

"  _Sunstreaker_ , " Optimus warned, patience wearing thin, "I understand your frustrations but what happened yesterday is in the past and it will do no good to dwell on it at this present. Besides I have good reason to believe that this was not Starscream's doing. Now First Aid, tell me exactly happened here," he asked.

**o0o0o**

Blinking her optics, a strange, grey, metallic room came into focus. As she tried to move a servo to ease the fuzziness in her helm, she found that she was restrained. Looking around, she found herself strapped to a metal slab strapped by the pedes and servos in what appeared to be holding cell.

As she checked over herself, she found that her subspace had been tampered and noted that her photon rays had been removed. She glanced at the lighting panel on the other side of the room but seeing as she was unarmed, disabling the ambient light was clearly out of the question. If there was any consolation at all, however, it was that she could still feel her Trine Mates' presences in her spark, who she knew were tucked away in a separate cell not far from where she was. She was vulnerable but she was at least fortunate that Megatron wanted to keep her alive even if for ill-reasons and she knew it would only be a matter of time before the Autobots would spring into action. Though things certainly looked bleak at this moment in time, there was at least still a glimmer of hope even if minute. Yet even the optimistic Femme could feel that glimmer of hope vastly disappear as the astroseconds passed by before wondering how her little siblings were coping, and if indeed she and they would even make it out of here alive.

' _I really hope Joe and Cathy are doing alright…'_  Shadeweaver thought to herself but as she closed her optics for a moment, she heard voices come from outside. It was then that none other than the Decepticon Leader himself entered the room, followed by a couple of other Decepticons that she had met during battle.

"Ah. Shadeweaver, I see that you have finally came out of stasis," Megatron commented, "I trust that you are comfortable?" he hinted with a smirk.

"Oh. Yeah, I highly recommend it," Shadeweaver snorted, "It'd do  _you_ a world of good," she added with clear distaste in her voice.

"Oh. I am sure," Megatron said simply, "At any rate, I suppose you are wondering as to what you are doing here amongst our armada?" he started.

"What? Other than being your wall decoration?" Shadeweaver said sarcastically.

"Hn. Although you would make a rather fine trophy for my collection, I have much bigger plans for you," Megatron started, "In short, you are going to be part of  _our_ Armada where you belong," he stated. It took a few astroseconds for the message to sink in.

"You what?" Shadeweaver started as she processed the message, "You want  _me_ to become a  _Decepticon?_ " she said in disbelief.

"Precisely; I am sure that you may have noticed that almost all Seekers that exist serve under my rule," Megatron said, "And pretty soon, you too will join your brethren amongst our ranks as you rightfully  _should_ be," he proclaimed.

" _Aye right_ ," Shadeweaver blurted out with outright disgust at the very idea, "You must be delusional if you think  _I'm_ just going to up and become a  _Decepticon_. I'm a Wing Commander of the Royal Air Force and an Autobot. It's my duty to serve and protect this planet, not like  _you lot_  who only want to exploit it," she added with clarity in her voice.

"No Shadeweaver,  _you_ are a  _Seeker_ and as your Lord, not do I only command the Decepticon armada, I  _own_ them including the entire Seeker fleet," Megatron corrected before he forced her to look into his optics.

"Well, you don't own me and I most certainly  _won't_ become one of  _you_ ," Shadeweaver said with an audible growl; she was met with scowl before he let out a dark chuckle.

"I am afraid that you have no say in the matter, little Femme for I have many means of getting what I want. You will serve the Decepticon cause as I deem fit and once you have been fully assimilated, the outcome of this little mudball will be the very least of your concerns," Megatron stated, "You will serve under  _my_  rule, under  _my_  leadership, not flummoxing around with those two bit  _Autobots,_ and you will soon come to realise that any form of insubordination will  _not_  be tolerated," he added. Hearing the danger in his tone, it did not take a genius to figure out the hidden message. Now realising the gravity of the situation, Shadeweaver decided that if she hoped for any chance of surviving this ordeal, she had to tread more carefully, especially with her Trine Mates' lives in mind. Seeing that he had gotten through to the Femme, Megatron gave a little chuckle.

"Tell you what, Femme. Why don't we make a little deal?" Megatron started.

"Che. What could you offer me that I could possibly want?" Shadeweaver asked with clear distaste.

"Well, what if I say that if you comply with me, I  _may_  let your little comrades live to tell the tale?" Megatron coerced, gaining her attention, "For as unsentimental as I am, it would be such a shame to have you watch their little sparks extinguish due to your rashness, wouldn't you say? " he added with an evil smirk. Her optics widened at that.

" _You wouldn't_ ," Shadeweaver said, horrified at the very idea, " _I swear_ , if you even  _ **attempt-!**_ " she started.

"Then I suppose we have deal?" Megatron hinted but the Femme remained quiet as she slipped into deep thought about her current situation. "Hm. I will give you a joor to make up your mind as I have other matters to tend to," Megatron said as he made towards the threshold, "You there! Watch the cell, make sure she has no means of escape," he ordered to a passing Mech.

"Remember Little Femme, the clock is ticking," the Warlord added with a dark chuckle as he left before the door bolted shut. Shadeweaver then looked down with a long, tired vent as she looked around the room, strapped tight to a vertical berth with no means of escape.

"What the hell do I do now."

**o0o0o**

At the main bridge of the Ark, Wheeljack was still wedged squarely underneath the panel of the monitor as he worked on the singed circuitry.

"Primus, whoever blew this monitor didn't miss a transistor," Wheeljack vented, "The whole motherboard practically got done in," he added.

"Are you able to repair it?" Optimus asked.

"Oh. Yeah, of course; in fact, if I just install this last resistor…" Wheeljack said, trailing of as he screwed in a bolt before the monitor suddenly flickered to life, "Et voila, your saviour has saved the day," he added.

"Che. Makes a change from blowing stuff up," Sunstreaker commented which Wheeljack ignored.

"Ah. Well-done, Wheeljack," Optimus commended, "What is Red Alert's status?" he asked.

"So far so good, Prime," Ratchet replied and he and First Aid tended to the injured Mech, "I have stabilised his spark pulse, we shall transport him to continue repairs in the med-bay soon enough," he added.

"Good work, Old Friend," Optimus replied.

**::Jazz, Mirage; what is your status?::**

**::Well, we're making good time, Optimus; we should be within proximity in two breems at the very most. I wager we'll get Shade out in a joor, all going well::**

**::Thank you, Mirage; make sure to keep as low a profile as you possibly can and keep me posted regularly::**

**::Will do Prime, Mirage out::**

**o0o0o**

Venting to herself, Shadeweaver looked around the room for the umpteenth time. She had long since given up trying to loosen the restraints of her joints as not only were they practically impossible to break, her energon levels were getting low and she needed to conserve her energy if she wanted to make out of here alive. Seeing her disengaged photon rays sitting, tormenting her on the self a few feet in front of here and the reflection of her strapped into a vertical berth by the pedes and servos, she realised how vulnerable she was. Being your typical, stubborn Seeker, however, she would never allow them to assimilate her into their ranks even if her life depended on it but even as strong-willed as she was, if there was one weakness that all Seekers shared, it was their trine bonds. The last thing Shadeweaver ever wanted was for anything bad to happen to Joe or Cathy, and Megatron, of course, just  _had_  to exploit it with that 'little deal' he coined earlier. Even if she  _were_  to comply with him, however, she had good reason to believe that he would fall back on his word anyway. They weren't called  _Decepticons_ for nothing after all.

Realising that she truly was stuck between a rock and hard place, the Seeker could only close her optics in contemplation. The Femme could only hope that the Autobots would arrive soon before anything drastic happened. As she cycled many thoughts through her CPU in order to try and devise a plan to get out of the situation, she snapped her optics open to the sudden sound of glass shattering somewhere down the hall. It was then that she noticed the lights in the corridor starting to flicker out.

"Huh? It must be a power cut," Shadeweaver said to herself before the lights in her cell shut down. A metallic  _shink, shink_ could then be heard as her restraints came loose. "Huh. Now that's a miracle if I ever saw one," she said as she pried herself from the berth and got to her pedes. Then, turning to the task at hand, Shadeweaver quickly grabbed her photon rays and re-engaged them.

"Much better," Shadeweaver as her cannons whirred to life once more, "Now I better find Joe and Cathy now before the others come looking for me," she said but as she neared the door, she heard raised voices and pounding pedes heading in her direction. Shadeweaver quickly sank into a shadow produced by a small desk. It was then that the cell door burst open as Brawl came tanking in closely followed by Megatron and another Decepticon.

"Fraggit! The Femme's gone!" the constructicon yelled.

" _Imbeciles!_  I told them to keep watch!" Megatron snarled in fury, "Brawl; get your combaticons and scour the base in it's entirety, and you; find and locate the source of the outage. If any of you shall happen to find whoever is responsible for this breach, bring them to me and I shall deal with them personally!" he ordered with the two Decepticons acknowledging him. Unbeknownst to them, however, their escapee had already sprung into action as she silently latched onto Brawl's shadow. Then as Brawl hurried out of the threshold, Shadeweaver could only watch closely as parts of the darkened hallway flitted past the rifts in the void.

"Theta-12?" Shadeweaver said to herself as she spotted the placard, "That's where Joe and Cathy are." Then seeing her chance, she flitted into another shadow before eventually ending up outside of the cell door. Hearing the voices and pedes subsiding, Shadeweaver gingerly poked her head out just enough to get a good view of the corridor. Satisfied, she quietly stepped out of the shadow and opened the cell door. To her horror, however, the only things in the room were two energon containers that lay broken on the floor.

"Dammit; where  _are_ they!?" Shadeweaver said to herself as scoured the room; it was then a static followed by an electronic zap filled the air. She then wheeled around, poising her cannons as a mech revealed himself, ready to defend her life if need be. As the he came into view, however, she recognised the winged frame of certain black and purple seeker.

" _You,_ " Shadeweaver quizzed, "What're  _you_ doing here; and where's Joe and Cathy?" she asked in an accusatory tone.

"No time to explain, and don't worry, Screamer has 'em," Skywarp cut in as he grabbed her wrist, "C'mon, we're getting ya outta here," he added and before Shadeweaver could even form a sentence, she yelped as the sensation of being sucked down a whirlpool overcame her. Then within an astrosecond, she was in a darkened corridor, showing the ocean from a porthole.

"Did you secure the Femme?" the raspy voice that was Starscream's asked.

"Yeah, Screamer," Skywarp said nonchalantly but looked over to see the Autobot in question supporting herself against the wall, "Oh! Heh-heh, happens all the time." The femme could only groan in response as she tried not to purge her tanks.

"Ok...Now," Shadeweaver balked before her head ceased spinning, "Can someone please tell me what in the  _hell_ going on?" she stressed, utterly lost and confused as she looked up at the three Decepticons.

"Simply put, we are helping you escape back to base," Starscream stated. She blinked; this she did not expect.

"So then it was  _you_ who sabotaged the power supply," Shadeweaver realised, "Why?" she asked for Starscream was the last person she expected to be her rescuer.

"Correct and to answer your question, Megatron has been continually overstepping the mark by going behind our backs and attempting to endanger your Trine," Starscream replied, "We all agreed that Megatron had got away with far too much and that action needed to be taken," he added.

"Yeah, but don't get us wrong, we are only helping because of the Code, we will revert to enemy status once we are through," Thundercracker said pointedly but then came a low rumble, "Besides we kinda owe ya for sticking up for us yesterday," he added. Shadeweaver knew he was talking about the incident at Antarctica the previous day and looked to see a faint ghost of a smirk on the the blue and black Seeker's proud, stoic features.

"Anyway, I believe these belong to you?" Starscream spoke up ; her optics widened as he produced to tiny figures from his cockpit.

" _Shade!_ " cried the familiar female voices of her tiny siblings.

"Oh! My God," Shadeweaver gasped in surprise as she had her Human Trine Mates were suddenly in her servos once more, "Oh.  _Thank you_ ," she added in a whisper full of gratitude as relief, reassurance and comfort flowed through their bond once more. The three Decepticons only blinked at the rare scene of the Seeker Femme displaying such emotion.

"Oh! Shade. We thought you weren't gonna get outta there," Cathy said, "Megatron put up some kind of signal block. We couldn't sense where you were!" she cried.

' _Slag. They really_ _are_ _a Trine,_ ' Thundercracker commented through the bond, seeing the obvious connection first hand as the two Humans shared a moment with the Femme. Though it did seem a ridiculous notion at first glance, Thundercracker could now see what Starscream meant. He couldn't believe how blind he was to it before.

' _Meh. This is_ _too_ _weird for me,'_ Skywarp chimed in, eying the Humans with scrutiny, ' _But_ _at least they didn't puke on me, I'll give 'em that much,'_  he added.

"Anyway; although this little reunion is nice and all, we must bring our attentions back to the matter at hand," Starscream spoke up, gaining everyone's attention, "Although this area is rather secluded, it  _is_  still within the boundaries of the Nemesis and it will only be a matter of time before we are discovered," he added.

"Can't we just used that field breach we used earlier?" Skywarp asked.

"I'm afraid that breach collapsed in on itself when we hijacked it," Starscream said, "Instead we must move swiftly and quietly through the base. The hangar will no doubt be heavily guarded but if I'm right, the side door leading into the ocean should be relatively easy to escape from. Then once we are outside of the dispersion field, you should be free to teleport us away from here," he added.

"Alright, lead the way, Screamer," Skywarp said.

**o0o0o**

Two breems had passed and Shadeweaver, along with her unlikely allies moved as stealthily as they could within the confines of the Nemesis. Shadeweaver put her ability to good use by using shadows cast by the walls to scout ahead and/or pull the others into the safety of her shadow-verse of need be.

' _Hey Shade, are you sure we can trust those guys?'_  Joe asked through their bond from within her cockpit,  _'I mean they are, you know, Decepticons and all,'_  he hinted, glancing at Skywarp on his right.

' _Well, let's put it this way, Joe; this is still much better than being strapped to a berth being interrogated by Megatron,'_  Shadeweaver replied, _'Besides, they_ _did_ _just risk a lot by releasing us. I think we should at least give them a chance,'_  she added.

' _I guess,'_ Joe said,  _'You know_ ,  _I don't think I'll ever understand how you Seekers work,'_  he added.

' _Yeah, me neither and that's coming from me,'_  Shadeweaver said with slight amusement. As the four Seekers crept past a threshold, Starscream then beckoned them forward, where they then came across an old rusted hatch. With slight difficulty, Starscream then swung the hatch open, revealing a room with a sealed door. The Seekers then entered the room, bolting the hatch shut before Starscream released the valve letting gallons of water flood the room. Within astroseconds, the four Seekers escaped and swam out into the open sea.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base; the Ark, Prowl was back to working on Teletraan-1 while Ratchet and First Aid had transported Red Alert to the med bay.

"What do you have to report, Prowl," Optimus asked.

"I'm afraid there's not much to go on, Prime," Prowl vented, "According to the security logs, none of the known Decepticon frequencies triggered any of the protocols. From what I gathered from First Aid, Megatron seems to have developed some kind of cloaking device; if we are to even hope of standing a chance, we  _need_ to get a copy of those frequencies and no Decepticon I know would just willingly hand them over," he added.

"That is what I was afraid of," Optimus vented, feeling a processor ache coming on, "Very well, just do what you can, Prowl and keep me posted," Optimus replied.

**::How is Red Alert, Ratchet?::**

**::Well, he's stable,::**  Ratchet replied,  **::One inch to the right, however, and it could have been very different; give me a few joors and he should be up on his pedes again::**

"If you don't mind me saying, Prime, I'd say Megatron has grown bolder lately," Prowl spoke up, "This is the first time that he has knowingly attacked the Ark directly," he added.

"I would agree with you Prowl hence I will most certainly tighten security at and around the base," Optimus agreed, "I will brief all of you in due course but for now our main objective is to retrieve our young friend from Megatron's hold and to tend to the injured," he added.

"By the way, any word from Mirage and Jazz?" Bumblebee asked, "It's been nearly a joor since they left," he hinted.

"Not as of yet, Bumblebee," Optimus replied but just then his comm. System chimed.

**::Go ahead, Jazz::**

**::Hey, OP. Just comin' into Decepticon territory now; Mirage and I are just about to get into base; we'll comm ya when get her out::**

**::Good work Jazz and be careful::**

**::Hold on, Prime; I just spotted something::** chimed the voice of mirage,  **::Looks like four Seekers emerging from the lake::**

 **::Do not engage them, Mirage::**  Optimus warned,  **::Remember that your main objective is to locate Shadeweaver and the Humans::** he added but as he said that, he was cut off my a yell of surprise.

 **::Oh! Primus, you're not gonna believe it, OP; it's the Trine alright but get this, Shade's with 'em alive and well::**  the voice of Jazz suddenly chimed in. The other Autobots murmured with surprise at the sudden turn of events.

"Wait, Shadeweaver's with Starscream?" Bumblebee reiterated.

"What in the pit's she doing with  _that_ Slagger?" Sunstreaker asked with distaste.

 **::Ah!** _ **Slaggit**_ **; the four of them just teleported away::** Mirage cursed,  **::No doubt that was Skywarp's doing; what should we do now, Prime?::**

**::Return to base, both of you; we will take over operations for now::**

"Lock on to Shadeweaver's signal, Prowl," Optimus ordered but just then, Teletraan-1 chimed.

"Huh? There's no need to, Optimus," Prowl spoke up, "There are three Decepticon signatures outside of the Ark; and one Autobot, Sir," he added.

"Autobots: ready yourselves for possible conflict but fire only on  _my_  command," Optimus ordered and within astroseconds, the Autobots who were not indisposed joined Optimus' side before making their way over the threshold.

"I'm gonna slag those blasted Cons to the pit!" Sunstreaker growled as his blaster whirred to life.

"You and me both, Bro," Sideswipe agreed.

Then as the Autobots made their way outside, three all too familiar Decepticons revealed themselves.

"Starscream, shoulda known it'd be you," Sideswipe snorted, "You Cons went way too far this time taking Shade and almost killing Red," he added as he poised a blaster as did many of the other Autobots. It was then however that they noticed an additional figure hunched over.

"Shade? Oh! My Primus!" cried Bumblebee as he ran over to the dazed Femme, "What in the  _pit_  did you Fraggers do to her!?" he demanded as he supported her.

"'S alright, Bee; I'm just a bit-" Shadeweaver balked as clamped her servo to her intake.

" _We_  did nothing besides give her a little motion sickness," Starscream stated, "It was thanks to us that she and her Trine made it out of there in one piece. Had we not intervened, Megatron would still be interrogating and possibly  _killing_ her right this astrosecond. So I would kindly watch your glossa, little 'bot," he sneered.

"Che. What? So you've turned good all of a sudden?" Sunstreaker scoffed, "Knowing you, Screamer, you'd do anything to catch us at a disadvantage," he added.

"This was only a one off," Starscream said, "We only ask that you take your Autobot off our servos and let us leave peacefully. We have more important things to do than entertain a bunch of Ground-Pounders like  _you_ ," he added with smirk.

"Oh! I'll pound that fraggin' smirk into the ground alright!" Sunstreaker snarled as sized him up but before he could take a swing, the Femme stepped in.

"Sunstreaker, don't," Shadeweaver said quickly, earning an incredulous look from the Lamborghini. The three Decepticons only blinked in response. Did the Femme just defend them?

"Are you out or your fraggin-!?" Sunstreaker started in disbelief.

"Just... let them go," Shadeweaver said, "I mean, they  _did_  save my life after all," she hinted. Sunstreaker regarded her for a moment, with a brief glance at the Humans who were safely tucked away inside her cockpit. The Mech then obliged with much reluctance before backing off from her.

"Che. Fine, whatever," Sunstreaker snorted as he turned to join the rest of the Autobots, "But don't expect me to stop next time," he added with an extra glare to the Trine as he walked away.

As Shadeweaver turned to join the others, she briefly caught the Air Commander's unreadable expression before he turned his attentions elsewhere. Seeing his window of opportunity, Starscream then motioned his Trine Mates to follow but not before glancing back at the Femme as she rejoined her comrades. Then recollecting his thoughts, Starscream and his comrades then, with not a moment too soon, transformed and shot into the open sky.

"Good riddance," Sunstreaker grunted, "I swear I'm gonna slag those fraggin' Cons one day," he added.

"Until then, Sunstreaker, we have much more pressing matters at hand," Optimus spoke up from watching the exchange from the sidelines, "Following recent events, I now strongly believe that Starscream is the very least of our worries. I believe we should now turn our attentions to the heart of the matter with optics squarely on Megatron himself," he said knowingly.

**o0o0o**

After debriefing with the other Autobots of her ordeal, Shadeweaver and her tiny trine now sat, yet again, on a berth in the Med-bay.

"So, have I beaten the Twins' record yet?" the Femme half joked.

"I'm afraid you will have to wait a good few million solar cycles for that; but don't you dare, and that goes for you two as well," Ratchet said, pointing his wrench at Joe and Cathy with amusement in his voice. "Well, anyway besides your gyroscopes getting a good workout, I'd say you're good to go," Ratchet replied, "As we're still waiting for materials to finish repairs from yesterday's battle, I strongly advise against flight for at least a day or two," he warned.

"Alright, so am I free?" Shadeweaver asked.

"Yes, that'll be all for now," Ratchet replied, "I will also speak to Wheeljack about your requests so that he can get to work on them tomorrow," he added.

"Ok. Thanks a lot, Ratchet," Shadeweaver said gratefully as she headed out of the med-bay.

"Wait, requests?" Cathy quizzed, "What requests?" she asked.

"Just to improve the efficiency of your jets," Shadeweaver replied, "I had a talk with him and he said Wheeljack should be able to rebuild your jets with photon rays and a radar that can detect Decepticon frequencies," she added.

"Good call, Shade; I hate not being able to help you out being so small," Joe said, "Maybe now with weapons that can actually do damage we can have a fighting chance," he added.

"Perhaps but it's more about keeping you two safe," Shadeweaver stated, "I could have lost you today, yesterday or at even Yellowstone. I don't plan on letting that happen again if I can help it," she added with determination. Joe and Cathy merely looked at each other as their Trine Leader returned them to her quarters.

**o0o0o**

Standing atop a cliff face stood a lone, winged figure. Thundercracker and Skywarp had since left for the Nemesis with most of the energon in tow while Starscream opted to stay behind to collect the last few dregs of his quota. As he gazed out at the last of dusk, various thoughts and algorithms cycled through his CPU as he processed recent dealings involving the Decepticon Leader. Just what was Megatron trying to prove in abducting the Human Trine Mates; would Megatron really have risked disbanding the Code of Honour by terminating them? Whatever the case, this situation was getting out of hand and as far as he was concerned, Megatron had shown utmost disrespect towards him and his kind. He knew that from now on he would have to be extra vigilant. It was then that his audio receptors caught movement from not far behind.

"Out for a stroll, are we?" his raspy voice called out.

"I was going to ask you the same question," replied the female voice of the Seeker Femme, "Didn't think you'd be the type to watch a sunset," he added.

" _Please_ ; that oversize fusion reactor is the  _least_  of my concerns," Starscream scoffed, Shadeweaver couldn't help but roll her optics at that, "Anyway, what are you doing out here? I'd have thought you'd be on high Alert since the incident earlier," he added.

"I am; don't get me wrong but I guess I just wanted to thank you for earlier," Shadeweaver replied, "You risked a hell of lot in doing that, you know," she added.

"I only did what was necessary," Starscream said, "Megatron has become unruly of late and I am sure you know by now how important the Code is to a Seeker," he added

"Yeah, Ratchet gave me the file and explained what it meant," Shadeweaver said, "Actually, the real reason I'm here is that, well, Optimus wants to make a proposition," she admitted.

" _Hmph_. If you are asking me to become an  _Autobot_  then I am afraid I must decline," Starscream snorted with disgust in his voice, "I won't ever bear that insignia for as long as I live even if I were not a Decepticon, and I guess now he has  _you_  doing his dirty work," he proclaimed.

"Look, I don't what vendetta you have with the Autobots but we're not asking you to join, we're just asking for you to at least co-operate with us," Shadeweaver vented, "I don't know if you've noticed but Megatron's been unpredictable lately and Optimus thinks it'd be a good idea if we at least worked together on this," she added.

Starscream thought for a moment as this was something that he had to handle with extreme care. Megatron had indeed pushed boundaries lately by not only performing underhand dealings behind his and the other Seekers' backs, he had knowingly endangered a Seeker's Trine. To have the Autobots' behind him would certainly be an asset but if Megatron were to find out, he and his own trine would be a prime target, and not to mention the other Seekers on base. This was something that he needed to carefully consider before making rash decisions.

"I am not saying that I will accept but I will at least consider it," Starscream eventually replied, "I will have to consult Thundercracker and Skywarp first, however, as they are my main priority," he added.

"No, I understand fully," Shadeweaver replied as she was only too aware of the importance of a Seeker's trine.

"Then I will return back to base," Starscream said as he neared the cliff edge, "I daren't doubt Megatron will be becoming suspicious of my absence," he added knowingly.

"Alright but just be careful ok?" Shadeweaver said; Starscream regarded her for a moment before the Decepticon turned toward the open sky. "Starscream, wait," the Femme spoke up gaining his attention, "Take this with you," she added as she, to his surprise, whipped out a full energon cube from her subspace.

"Why are you giving me this energon?" Starscream asked, but surprised and confused by the gesture as he felt the weight of the cube in his servos.

"Well, we may be enemies but I do recognise when someone goes out of their way to save me life," Shadeweaver replied, "It's not much but it should be enough for the three of you," she added.

This was one of those rare moments when the Decepticon was truly lost for words. Though he did not say anything, Shadeweaver could almost make out the subtle mix of confusion and gratitude in his expression. Then without a word, Starscream subspaced the cube and turned back towards the open sky. Shadeweaver then, understanding, stood back to give him his space. The Decepticon then transformed, letting his thrusters roar to life as he shot into the cold, night sky.

Shadeweaver just stood and watched as the very faint red glow illuminated the Seeker's vapour trail, thinking about the events of the past few joors. If there was one thing that she could take from this whole ordeal was that she knew from this moment on that everything had to be taken with utmost, extreme care. Not only was there the ongoing battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, there was also the added complication of the Code of Honour. Not only that, there was also the relative ease in which Megatron gained access to their base without detection. The situation was now very real and she had to better protect those, especially her trine, from the evil of Megatron's clutches.

**o0o0o**

Meanwhile:

Smoke bellowed from the corpse of an ex-Decepticon as he lay with a wide, gaping hole in his chassis. The Overlord sat with a scowl on his features as he lowered his fusion cannon, still smoldering from recent use. The other Decepticons cringed as they eyed the eerie, silent scream still etched on its features.

"Perhaps this will be a warning for you all," Megatron started, expression dark and threatening, "This is what  _will_ happen if I shall catch whoever betrayed me today," he snarled, burning with fury.

"You! Clear this mess up!" Megatron snapped at a shaking Decepticon, "Now get out of my sight,  _all of you_  and return to your work!" he barked and the Decepticons within proximity complied without question. Megatron let out a long vent as he composed himself. As he was left, yet again, in the piece and quiet, Megatron then eyed his ever-so diligent Communications Officer working tirelessly on the main monitor. "What do you have to report, Soundwave?" he asked.

"I am afraid there has been no reported sabotage to the main power source prior to the failure," Soundwave replied, "The Femme's signal is also nonexistent; speculation: the Femme has had outside influence and has escaped capture. Autobot signals were briefly apparent nearby," he reported.

"So it was just as I thought," Megatron started, "The Autobots must have used a cloaking device of their own and taken her right under our very noses. Well that's the last time they will outsmart  _me_ and get away with it!" he growled just as the monitor chimed.

"It is Starscream, my Lord. He too has completed his energon quota and wishes to board the Nemesis," Soundwave spoke up.

"Very well, let him in but do not speak about this to him  _or_  any of the other Seekers on base," Megatron ordered, "It the must not fall into the wrong hands if this is to work in our favour," he added.

"Yes, my Lord," Soundwave replied simply as Megatron left the main bridge.

So near yet so far. Through the failure, however, came a determination to see the task through. Megatron will have that Femme as part of his armada as a Seeker  _should_  be and nothing was going to stop him now.

"Oh. Believe me, little Femme, you may have been victorious today but I swear, your day will come soon enough," Megatron stated with a knowing evil smirk that played on his faceplates.


	12. Disruption

_** The Seeker Code of Honour ** _

_~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~_

_1\. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason_

_2\. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst_

_3\. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight_

_4\. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice_

_5\. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour_

**o0o0o**

** Chapter 12 - Disruption **

_‘So then we are all in agreement’_

_‘I hate to say it but yeah, Screamer. We do need the support, especially if our honour’s on the line,’_

_‘Pah! Fraggin’ hate Autobots but yeah count me in,’_

_‘So be it. Our new alliance begins. It is not ideal but our Code is to be trifled with by no one whether Autobot or Decepticon alike,’_

That was more or less how the lengthy and difficult discussion had gone that eventful night. Though he was met with much scorn and fierce disapproval from his fellow Trinemates at first, the two began to come around to the idea as they looked at the bigger picture. Although Megatron had not actually broken the Code of Honour by Law, he was dangerously close to, and had they not intervened during Megatron’s recent dealings, he very well may have in the worst way possible. This was something not to be ignored and this began to raise the question as to whether he had done this before or whether this was an isolated incident. From the apparent lack of information and the surfacing of Megatron’s true colours, they concluded that despite the risks of the decept being discovered, the extra support from the Autobots was an asset.

**o0o0o**

It had been half an orn since the incident with the Femme’s Trine. After a rather uneventful  half cycle, Starscream stood alone in the laboratory setting up another round of samples that he collected earlier. If there was anything that could curb any pent up anger he often endured day from his dealings with Megatron, it would be either flight or his scientific pursuits. Though the low hum of the machinery fill filling the room was certainly therapeutic, it still did little to take his mind off the growing instances of his recharges.

He remembered them well. Every single little detail. As he gazed out at the vial of sedimentary rock and raw energon, he do nothing to ease the harrowing images of tiny corpses that plagued his CPU. Although he was a Decepticon and a treacherous one at that, a Seeker such as Starscream leading a massacre in such a manner was unheard of. One thing that was particularly haunting about the latest incidence was a coat of arms among the wreckage which burned in his processor; one of which he felt he should know.

As he pondered over the events that had happened recently with Megatron being so underhand and dangerously close to breaking the Code of Honour, he knew that he could not ignore it any longer. This was something that he needed to instigate further soon if not immediately. And just to complicate things further, a strange anomaly had also started to develop. It was unnoticeable at first but with each passing cycle, what he would equate to a ‘pull’ accompanied by a flare of temperature. It could very easily be a lose connection somewhere in his circuitry and he quickly put it at the back of CPU with a mental note to visit Hook later.

Hearing movement, the startled Air Commander quickly wheeled around null rays at the ready.

“Hey, Screamer. It's just me,” a certain blue and black Seeker said as he came in with three large energon cubes, “Brought some more samples for ya,” he added.

“That’s fine, TC. Just set them down over there,” Starscream said with a small vent of relief as he lowered his cannons..

“You alright? You’re kinda jumpy,” Thundercracker hinted.

“I’m fine,” Starscream said nonchalantly, “Go find Skywarp and meet me in the hangar. We have an errand to run after I have completed this task,” he added. Thundercracker merely obliged with a nod before following him to set about his task but not without sensing that his Trine Leader’s thoughts were elsewhere.

**o0o0o**

In the main bridge of the Nemesis, the grey Warlord sat in thought as he looked over past encounters with his Archenemies. It was always the same; he would gain an upper hand but little by little, they would work against the odds and eventually overthrow them forcing him to retreat. Lately, however, the development of his cloaking devices had lead his to being able to break into their base and apprehend the Femme he had set his optics on. Even though she was back with them yet again and that his new devices still had some teething problems, he had proven that his technology was no laughing matter and was now perceived as a real threat. As he glanced at the footage of his battles, something caught his attention as he viewed a certain golden Autobot with his blaster aimed at Starscream’s spark.

 _-"Sunstreaker, wait,"_ Optimus off screen had warned, _"I advise against it,”_ but the young Mech was having none of it.

_"Huh!? But Optimus this is Starscream we're talking about, not some lackey!”_

_"That Code's just a ploy! It's just a stupid made up law to save they're scrawny afts!"_ Sunstreaker growled. It was then that, to Megatron’s surprise, the Femme stepped in.

 _"No it's not, how can you even say that?"_ she protested, _"It's not just some Decepticon invention, you know; it's part of our coding, even mine,"_ she added. As he watched the short exchange between them, he saw a new opportunity arise.

“Hmm. I see that some old prejudices are still apparent...,” Megatron hummed, “This is something that I could certainly use to my advantage,” he added with an intense glare on his new target. “What is our current status?” Megatron asked a nearby Decepticon.

“We currently have at least two quartex’ worth of energon, My Lord,” the Decepticon stationed at the helm replied, “So far, we have managed to shipped one full Solar Cycle’s worth back to Cybertron,” he added.

“Hmm. Less than ideal but I suppose it could be worse,” Megatron hummed, “Soundwave?” he urged.

“We are currently investigating an influx of radiation located in the Caribbean,” Soundwave replied.

“I see, and you suspect this may be a source of energon?” Megatron asked with interest.

“Probability: high,” Soundwave replied, “Starscream is heading there momentarily,” he added.

“Good, and what of our breach of security?” Megatron hinted.

“As of yet, there has been no reported case logged into the database,” Soundwave replied.

“Keep searching, Soundwave. Someone must gained access past our shields,” Megatron interrupted with a sense of rising anger though not directed at the Communications Officer personally, “I cannot see how an Autobot could have done this. You saw how easily we bypassed their pitiful defenses seven cycles ago, how in Primus’ name could they even think about hacking our systems after falling prey so easily? Someone within our ranks must have given out our signal, Soundwave, that is the only explanation and I want you to figure out who,” he ordered. Soundwave nodded wordlessly as a Decepticon carrying a small container entered the bridge.

“Here’s your order from Shockwave, my Lord,” the Decepticon spoke up, “He says it's ready to use whenever you're ready,” he added.

“Ah. Excellent, some good news at last,” Megatron said, pleased as he took the small box in his servos, he then opened it up to reveal what looked like two tiny mechanical insects in his digits, “With these new Nanocons, those inferior Autobots will learn the hard way what happens when they mess with Yours Truly, and I know just who to test it on first,” he added with an evil smirk.

**o0o0o**

In peaceful surrounding desert, three familiar jets soon thwarted any ounce of silence as they thundered through the area from far above. The trio twisted and turned tight together, manoeuvres swift and synchronicity almost perfect. Although the few surrounding locals looked on in wonderment of the expert performance provided by the said jets, there was a hidden yet palpable apprehension surrounding the atmosphere.

Ever since their aircraft had been rebuilt and Ratchet finally finished repairs, Shadeweaver had made it a priority to improve their aerial combat skills via daily drill sessions when they were on duty. Wheeljack had since upgraded her comrades’ jets so it was also a good opportunity to test out the new technology.

 **::Heh. Looking good there guys, ::** chimed Sideswipe, who was travelling with Jazz and Sunstreaker along the desert below.

 **::Thanks Sides. Man, I just can't get over how awesome these upgrades are! Jackie deserves a dozen medals for this::** Joe replied.

 **::I’ll say, they’re so responsive!::** Cathy joined in.

"Uh-huh. And not only that, they run on energon now too so you can stay in the air for much longer. You’ll find you won’t have to go through as much fuel," Shadeweaver jumped in.

 **::Phe! I just wanna get outta this Slaggin’ desert. No fraggin’ wonder I'm going through so much paint::** growled a disgruntled Sunstreaker.

 **::Doncha worry, Man. We’re almost out, just another breem til we get back to Ark::** Jazz spoke up earning a prompt _‘Thank Primus’_ from the Mech.

As the trio continued to practice their manoeuvres through the wide open air, both Joe and Cathy couldn’t help notice that the Seeker in question had been unusually tense of late.

They supposed they knew that the Seeker was just concerned over their well-being. A trine of two, vulnerable humans was an obvious disadvantage and the fact that she came so close to losing the two people whom she not only cared for but essentially shared her very soul with just added to the pressure. Along with the unease of the situation, there was also something else that niggled the back if their mind. It was not as obvious at first but after spending more time in and around the base, they could not help but notice a slight off feeling towards Seekers in general. Shadeweaver had commented on this before but as they saw some of the interactions themselves, they could see what she meant. Though none of the Autobots wished any ill upon her, some of the of them were either uncomfortable around or slightly suspicious of her. It didn't help that all of them bar Shadeweaver were Decepticons.

 **::You alright Shade?::** Joe asked.

“Yeah, I suppose,” Shadeweaver replied, “I guess I have been a little uptight lately,” she admitted.

 **::Yeah, don’t blame ya,::** Joe said, **::The whole base is really on edge. You know, with the Decepticons’ new devices and all::**

 **::Yeah, even Sunny and Sides have been a lot quieter than usual,::** Cathy pointed out, **::The sooner they get those frequencies down the better::** she added; both Shadeweaver and Joe agreed as they, Jazz, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker headed back towards the Ark.

After their encounter with Megatron and the Autobot based had more or less returned back to normal. A small moment of peace had descended upon the Ark and everyone had returned to work yet with air of apprehension. After the confrontation, Optimus realised just how underprepared they had been and ordered everyone to double their efforts into raising their security profile of the base.

“So what do you have to report, Prowl?” Optimus asked.

“Well, Wheeljack has just completed upgrading radar system and I have continuously been monitoring for Decepticon activity,” Prowl replied, “We’ve done as much as we can but we still need those frequencies. We've managed to decode some of the interference but I think the only way we can be fully secure is to obtain a physical copy of them. How we can do that without putting anyone in unnecessary danger, we haven't figured out yet,” he added.

“I see but still, good work both of you,” Optimus said, “I know the situation does seem bleak but compiled with Perceptor’s improved security chips, we should at least provide some resistance from future attacks,” he added.

Although he knew that everyone on the base was doing their utmost and that he was doing his best to keep the morale, Optimus knew that everything that his comrade said was correct. He also knew that his old arch Nemesis would not give up the said frequencies readily without a fight. From recent occurrences however, he knew of a certain someone who might just provide some aid and though it seemed far-fetched, it filled his spark with a hint of optimism.

**o0o0o**

That evening Shadeweaver had been allowed some freedom near a small lake that was still close enough to the Ark. Taking in the scenery, the Femme allowed herself a moment of relaxation as she sat herself down to observe a small lake reflecting the setting sun. She winced as she stretched her servo with a slight creak before rubbing a little oil into it. If there was one thing she hated about the desert, it was the sand. Even though she was airborne most of the time, the many millions of tiny granules still made their way into her joints seizing them up from time to time; it was even worse during sandstorms. She sighed in relief as she could feel the oil work it’s magic.

“Much better,” Shadeweaver vented just as she felt a familiar signal before hearing some movement from not far behind.

“You know, Little Femme; you would make a prime target had it not been for certain circumstances,” a familiar raspy voice chimed. Shadeweaver couldn't help but roll her optics in response; she could practically hear that damn smirk.

“Well, I certainly wouldn't put it past a Jerk like you, Screamer,” Shadeweaver retorted; a wave of annoyance shot through him at that.

“And how many times have I told you _not_ to call me that?” Starscream demanded.

“Well, if you ever actually bother to say my name for once, I might think about it,” Shadeweaver hinted with a small smirk of her own.

“It amazes me just how _insufferable_ you can be,” Starscream growled under his breath in annoyance. Shadeweaver couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at his predictable reaction and the fact she just won that little argument. As the Decepticon then looked down at the Femme sitting on a fertile patch of land created by the nearby lake, a look of disapproval crept onto his features. “Primus knows how you _Autobots_ can even stand this mudball and its infernal organic matter,” he snorted as he settled next to a small cliff, she rolled her optics once again.

“Oh. Come on, it’s not _that_ bad,” Shadeweaver vented, “It's actually a nice planet if you just give it a chance.”

“Phe! I beg to differ,” Starscream said, “It has it's fair share of nuisances I could certainly do without,” he stated.

“Oh. Well, suit yourself,” Shadeweaver sighed in defeat as she got up, stretching her newly-lubricated joint, “Though the sand's a pain in the aft, I’ll give you that much,” she admitted.

“So, anyway, what’re you doing out here?” Shadeweaver asked.

“I was merely passing through,” Starscream replied, “And to let you know that I _have_ considered your proposition,” he added, gaining her attention.

“Oh? So then you agree?” Shadeweaver said.

“Yes, for the time being,” Starscream stated, “But know that this does not mean that we are going to become Autobots. This is merely a cooperation via sharing information and resources, nothing more,” he stated.

“No, no, that's fine. We weren't asking you to in the first place but cool, I’ll tell them as soon as I can,” Shadeweaver said, “You know, you could have just told Optimus,” she hinted.

“No. If you do not mind, I would rather keep my distance. Such direct communications would be easier to intercept and I cannot risk that,” Starscream said, “Megatron is still unaware that I know about his deception and he would not expect us to meet in such a manner,” he added.

“Fair enough, I’ll-”

_‘Megatron is still unaware that I know about his deception and he would not expect us to meet in such a manner,’ he added._

_‘Fair enough, I’ll-’_

A moment of silence then occurred as the two Seekers just blinked at the strange phenomenon they just witnessed.

“What was that?” Shadeweaver asked in confusion.

“I believe we just experienced a time loop,” Starscream surmised.

“Hang on, I’ll check on the others,” Shadeweaver said before signalling the Ark.

Meanwhile in the main bridge if the Ark:

“I have swept the entire Northern Hemisphere, Sir,” Prowl spoke up, “It seems that the effects had shown strongest around the Caribbean,” he added just as the monitor chimed.

“Go ahead, Shadeweaver,” Optimus said.

**::Hey, did any of you just experience something strange just now? Like a time lag?::**

“Yes, we were just discussing the matter,” Optimus replied, “There have been similar reports from all over the globe; strongest in Caribbean. Skyfire, what is your prognosis?” he asked

“This is indeed a weakness in the fabric of time, Optimus,” Skyfire replied, “If that tremor is allowed to become a full tear it could be-,” he added before he was cut off by an earthquake.

“I cannot agree more, my friend,” Optimus concurred

 **::So what’re your orders, Sir?::** Shadeweaver asked, who had been listening to the conversation and feeling the effects of the new occurrences.

“Come back as quick as you can, Shadeweaver,” Optimus ordered, “Skyfire, do what you can to can find a solution and everyone else, protect the others our Human friends,” he added with everyone nodding in agreement.

**o0o0o**

“Yeah, it’s the same with them too,” Shadeweaver said.

“Thundercracker and Skywarp have reported similar occurrences,” Starscream replied with urgency in his voice, “I must leave. I cannot leave them in these circumstances,” he added.

“I understand,” Shadeweaver replied, “Just stay safe, ok?” she added. He regarded her for a moment with an unreadable expression before he moved away, transforming and blasting off into the sky. Shadeweaver then, before she even had a chance take action, was almost floored by a particularly powerful tremor. She then found, to her horror, that she could not transform nor kick in her thrusters.

 **::Guys listen. My T-cog’s malfunctioning and I’m grounded::** the Femme’s urgent voice chimed through the comm.

“We are also experiencing the same symptoms, Shadeweaver. Just do what you can but be extra careful” Optimus replied back.

“Optimus!” called a male voice, Optimus looked to see the two Human Pilots run up to him with looks of concern, “Is Shade alright? She hasn’t come back,” he asked.

“Shadeweaver is having issues with her transformation sequence but is unharmed,” Optimus replied, “Now you two, do what you can to get Sparkplug and the children to safety. Contact the nearest military base if the worst shall happen,” he added.

“Aye Sir, c’mon Cath,” Joe said before making their way to their given task but just then another earthquake ricocheted through the base, throwing them to the ground. Picking themselves up, they look up to see what looked like the ribbons of light surrounding each of the Autobots.

“This is very bad, Optimus,” Skyfire grimaced, holding onto the panel for support, “The weakness is tearing as we speak. It will explode at any given moment!” he warned.

“I am afraid there is not much we can do at thus present,” Optimus said grimly, “Everyone, prepare for impact!”

As Shadeweaver bolted for the Ark, her mind was squarely on her two tiny trinemates that resided there; and perhaps in concern of the Seeker that had blasted off into the distance after his own.

“Dammit. I hope Joe and Cathy are alright,” she said to herself but just as she reached less than a mile from her destination, the sky was suddenly alive with an explosion of pure white energy. Before she could even register what was happening, however, the vast whiteness eventually caught up and engulfed her.

“Oh! No!” Joe cried out, seeng the explosion from the monitor, “ ** _Shadeweaver!!_** ” he cried out in desperation, fearing the worst but less than an astrosecond later, the same vivid whiteness had also engulfed the Ark. Everyone, including the lone Seeker racing through the skies, knew no more.

**o0o0o**

**Author’s notes**

And that is my next instalment of my fanfiction at last. I’m Sorry it took so long, I hadn’t abandoned it, it was just that I sort of changed how my story was originally going to go with my last chapter and it really threw things off. That was probably the longest writer’s block ever. I have been trying to write this chapter for months but I just wasn’t happy with it. I was also trying not to rush things that Starscream and Shadeweaver and was running out of ideas for the chapter plots. Anyway,  here’s the long awaited chapter and a cliffy at that. I hope you liked it :)


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